The Tale of Kursed
by Another Anime Guy
Summary: The story takes place several years after Krystal leaves star fox, star wolf, and begins her life as a bounty hunter.
1. Chapter 1

The Tale of Kursed

By Juliano AKA: Another Anime Guy

Prelude:

It has been many long years since Krystal, now known as Kursed has left the one who loved her more than anything else that came before. She is on a mission to bring in money and to build a new reputation which she had lost after making a dangerous and costly choice . . . Our story follows the events after she leaves her formal lovers rival.

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Far away in the vast reaches of space, a ship glides onward as if searching for something or a meaning, "The coordinates seem to be correct" thought the pilot of the ship as she looked into her onboard satellite computer. The light on the left side showing the ID of the ship ahead showed that it is not the ship she was looking for. "I guess one bounty lost isn't the end of the world, . . . and besides, . . . he wasn't worth much anyway" thought the young fox. She turned the craft into auto - pilot and sat back in her chair as she ran her fingers through her long blue hair. The light from the stars and planets around her illuminated her blue fur and the necklace she wore on her neck.

As she sat back she looked at her reflection on the window of the ship and thought about why she was doing what she is doing. A tear falls down her cheek as she goes into her spacesuit and pulls out a picture of what appears to be another fox with a big smile on his face with the words "Always and Forever" written on the side. "Was it all worth it? . . ." She thought. "INCOMING TRANSMISSON" shouted her onboard computer. "Let them through," shouted the fox. A white screen came down from the craft and a figure appeared.

The figure was that of a small raccoon looking creature. With dark brown fur and wearing what appeared to be big round sunglasses. The raccoon clear his throat and began to speak. " Greetings Kursed . . ." The fox cut him off at mid sentence saying "No I didn't get the man you wanted" The raccoon raised his paw "I have something better than that. And it is guaranteed to put a smile on that pretty face of yours." Rolling her eyes she replied, " don't go there. And what is it this time?" The raccoon smiled and said, "This one here is worth 2 million Utaras (Universal Currency) alive and zero dead" The fox's eyes widened as she spoke with her mouth open. "Who is this person? And who would put such a price on them?" she said in astonishment. "A very rich and angry businessman." He replied.

"His name is Neveo. Better known as Neveo the Rebel in this part of the galaxy" The name sounded familiar but for some reason did not ring any bells. "Do they have a picture of this guy, rebel, person?" The raccoon gave a nasty smile and said in a hushed tone "Oooh yes . . . and I think you are going to be very interested in what you see my dear." "Bring him on the screen." She said sternly. The screen began to shiver as it downloaded the image requested. And when it did, she almost fell out her seat. "What is he?" she stuttered as she looked at the face of a species she had never seen before. "He is a human. And a very brave and determined one too" "But I thought the human race was extinct?" Kursed asked as she quickly composed herself.

"Well . . . from what others said and this picture suggests, . . . apparently not" said the raccoon in a very dull tone. "They lived in a far away galaxy known as the Milky Way before it was destroyed by that guy Andross . . . Everyone presumed that they had been eradicated but animals have stated that some have started popping up as far as Venom. But no one knows how though" Kursed carefully examined the face of this new bounty. What was obvious about him was his facial features. His skin had a brownish complexion and his hair was jet black and thick. His cheeks looked smooth and there appeared to be no fur. What caught her attention immediately was his very dark brown eyes and the smile on his face. "He may be a different species. But he isn't half bad looking. Actually, he is kind of cute when you look at him."

The raccoon let out a laugh and said " oh how cute. But don't let him fool you. He is more clever then he appears." "How clever can he be if his whole species got wiped out by that crazy monkey?" she said with her eyebrows raised. "Lets just say this" He cleared his thought with a cough and said "every bounty hunter who went after him . . .never came back, and when they did, they came back in very small boxes." "It could be worse." Replied kursed as she picked up claw filler and began smoothing the claws on her feet.

"And I suppose your going to charm and sweet talk your way into getting him?" He said with a sarcastic tone. "That's always a possibility. And it is me who decides the methods I use to get what I want. And I always get what I want" she said with a cold attitude. "Well . . . if your finished. I would like to send you the coordinates of where this young man was last seen hanging around." The computer began to ping loudly as it transferred the information. All of a sudden, a map showed up that showed a planet that was close to her current location. "He isn't that far away from here. I should be able to catch him before he runs off." She replied as she revved up the engine to begin a faster flight. "Kursed . . ." The raccoon looked at her, but this time with an extremely serious look, which was not something one would see with a personality like his.

"Do be careful. We do not know what his species is capable of and what knowledge and secrets their civilization may have or why Andross considered them such a threat" Kursed gave a light chuckle and replied in a confident tone. "He can't be that dangerous. After all, he's just a human" The raccoon looked down and spoke in a low tone "That's what the others said . . ." The screen went blank and moved back into the top of the compartment above the cockpit. The only noises that could be heard were kursed's soft breathing and the low hum of the accelerated engine.

She got out her chair and placed the silver filler back on the table to the right and slowly moved to the eating area. How bad can he be? She thought to herself. But the words "just a human" echoed in her head as if it were an omen of warning. She opened the door to her room and pulled on her black leather boots that were complimented by her form fitting cyber suit. "All that's left are these" she spoke out loud as she grabbed the yellow utility belt and a plain purple scarf. The blaster she used was still on the counter. She looked at the reflection of her face on the guns silver surface. Finally, she picked it up, placed it in the holster and spoke out loud. "So here the hunt begins."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The bar, the bounty, and the backstabber.

"All systems go. Entering the planet Sirus" The computer said over the intercom. "Now we just got to find this guy," she thought. The mighty blue and white craft entered what appeared to be a city closely resembling the city of Corneria. This didn't bring about any good memories. For it was in a city like this, that Kursed lost something that changed her life forever. "The city of Dresden would like to welcome you and offer a place for landing. Said a small purple toad with a happy smile. "Funny idea to pick a place like this to hide." she thought.

The aircraft gently touched the ground with little sound. A flight of stairs came down from the bottom of the ship as the young female made her way down the steps. She instantly noticed the men in the area all turned their heads and were looking at the new pilot who came down for a landing. "Damn man! That fox is fine as hell" said a wolf who was hanging on the side of a plane with what appeared to be his crew, Kursed walked on. In her mind she knew that the outfit she wore accentuated the curves on her body and she would use this technique to seduce the bounty into a false sense of security.

As she walked down the street, she passed stores and offices with bright flashing lights of every color imaginable. The lights in the city seemed to be in a fierce competition with the sun overhead. Her feet grew tired as the long hours of walking, listening, and watching started to have an affect on her. To her relief, she spotted what appeared to be a small bar with a large green sign that said "The in place" in bright neon red letters. She went inside and immediately thought that the bar must be new. Partially because the hard smell of alcohol hasn't seeped into the building. There were dozens of little round marble tables scattered across the room with either two or three chairs to each one.

To her right was the bar and to her left appeared to be a miniature restaurant. She made her way to one of tables at the far end of the room. Ignoring the hungry and excited stares the men in the bar gave her. A young pig approached her "What will it be today ma'am?" she looked to be in her mid forties. Only reason she thought that is the wrinkles that were prominent around her large pink snout. "Ill have water and the Special" Kursed said with a slight hint of cheer as she closed the menu. "No problem sunshine. It will be out in a few minutes." With a quick tap in her handheld computer she turned around and walked back to the bar.

Just as time was settling in and everything seemed quiet. A young leopard walked closer to the young vixen. "Hey there sexy. Can I sit with you for a moment?" He was tall, well built and with white fur that made the black spots on his coat stand out. " Kursed gave no response and instead just smiled and pulled sunglasses out of her suit. As she put them on the leopard asked, "What would you say if a fine feline like yourself come with me and I show you a good time?" The leopard gave a nasty smile and kursed replied in a calm but stern voice "I don't have time for little things and get to know you crap." "Believe me baby. What I got on me isn't so little" he said with a seductive tone as he slowly moved his hand along the side of her leg towards her waist.

Before she could pull out her blaster and show the over confident leopard a good time. The leopard has knocked 3 feet away by someone in strange clothes. The stranger was wearing what appeared to be boots made of brown leather. The other distinguishing feature was the light brown pants and the long sleeved dark green t-shirt he was wearing. The cape he was tearing was torn near the end and only went as far as waist. There was a strange symbol on the cape and it appeared to be that of a red five-pointed star. The scarf that covered his mouth was a deep navy blue, and besides the shades and the hat, was covering his face so no one could see what he looked like. "Your going to regret that . . ." said the leopard as he spat blood out his mouth. As he charged, the stranger pulled out what appeared to be a sword with strange symbols carved on the blade and dodged his attack as if it were nothing.

But this Leopard wanted to play dirty and pulled out a blaster while the stranger was standing still. Dodge this!" The leopard screamed as he shot at the stranger. Four shots rang out, but what the stranger did next had the entire bar put their hands to their mouths. The blaster had fired four shots directly at the stranger but he disappeared. The smoke cleared and revealed the stranger standing in the same place he was before but had shifted his stance. Kursed, the leopard, and the bar waiters and customers thought is unison. "He Dodged it . . ." "What kind of creature are you?" said the leopard in awe.

"Im something you have never seen" replied the stranger in a calm and collected voice. "Well let's just see how talented you are shall we?" The leopard than turned around and lunged at Kursed with his blaster in hand and a hungry look on his face and yelled "your turn!" "Oh shit!" thought kursed as she reached for her blaster only to feel her hip instead. "It must have fallen out during the fight!" she thought. She closed her eyes but then heard the stranger speak a language she had never heard before. Than a bright light illuminated from the sword and a beam of green light struck the leopard and sent him crashing though the window and flying into the sky where he turned into a tiny speck.

The glow dimmed and the stranger walked toward Kursed. "Let me help you up there" He said in a warm voice. His arm stretched out to show a brown leather glove that had patches of dark colors stitched all over the place. "Thank you" Kursed replied as she gave him her hand. And something happened to her the moment her hand touched his. She had this great and warm feeling that started at her fingertips and coursed through her entire body. His hands felt strange. She thought a fighter like this man would have hands hard as stone, but his were soft and gentle. "What's your name?" Kursed asked with curiosity.

"Ill tell you later, but for now, lets get out of here before we attract any more attention. Sound like a plan?" He asked calmly. Kursed smiled, took his hand, and ran out the bar. She suddenly heard the sirens of police crafts approaching. "Oh shoot." She thought. How are we going to get out of this?" she thought as four black and white hovercrafts stopped in front of them. "Hold on" said the stranger in a serious tone. Without hesitation, Kursed grabbed hold of the strangers waist. "You may feel a little jolt" said the stranger with the slightest hint of humor. He raised his left arm while holding to Kurseds waist with the other. A silver rope shot out from his glove and before the police could start shooting.

The two of them were flying in the air toward the top of a huge skyscraper. A Jolt, was an understatement . . . Kursed felt as if her skeleton had been pulled out her skin. Yet the stranger seemed unharmed. "He must be numb all over his body" she thought to herself as she landed on the building. "Thanks again" she said to the stranger. "No problem and by the looks of things, that panther appears to have taken a great liking to you ship." He said as he looked down the building to where she had parked her craft. "Oh no!" she yelled as she saw her craft explode on the docking bay. "Looks like were going to be traveling together for a bit. Or at least until you get a new ship" Kursed dropped to her knees and the last thing she saw was her ship on fire and the extremely sore panther laughing. Than all went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: In the Strangers Care and a shocking realization

Kursed's eyes began to open as she regained consciousness. "You must have been pretty exhausted and shocked to have just fainted like that," said a voice to her left. She blinked a couple time and realized she was in a bed on a well light room with a blue ceiling and red carpeting. She turned to see where the voice was coming from and saw the back of someone hovering over a small table with bottles of pills of every color. What gave off his identity was the navy blue scarf that was around hanging on the side of his left shoulder and that black cape with the red star. It was the strange man she met at the bar with the creepy sword. The sword was lying gently on the side of the bed. "Here. Take these. They will replenish your energy" Kursed tried to make out the uncovered face but her vision was still blurry.

She took the pills and swallowed them with a glass of water the stranger provided. Almost instantaneously, She was completely alive and full of energy. "Wow!" she said. Shaking her head "What was that stuff?" The figure had turned its back and laughed "Its my own special mixture of plants you can't get anywhere else but on this ship." He turned and she almost jumped in mid air but controlled herself at the site of who it was. It was the man she was sent to capture and bring to her employer . . . Neveo the Rebel. But how could this man be wanted so badly, other than for his knowledge of medicine. Kursed kept her composure and acted as if she wasn't surprised to see him as she smiled and began to drink from the glass.

"You were sent by that raccoon guy to try and capture me weren't you?" said Neveo. Kursed sprayed the water out her mouth after what he said. "How does he know?" she thought to herself. "There is no point in lying to me. I have a sixth sense about these things. I may be human but I am not stupid" he said with a hint of humor in his voice. "You can say that again," thought Kursed. "So how do you know about me and what is going on?" she asked. "Im sorry to be the one to tell you. But you have been betrayed." He said calmly. "By who may I ask?" "By that raccoon you thought was your business buddy." Neveo replied softly. "He is in fact an agent of the Fahash Planet."

"Do you recall a hunt you made several months earlier where you killed a young arms dealer supplying illegal weapons?" He said quietly. Kursed snickered and in a low tone said "Oh yeah. I remember that kid. He was quite the fighter too." Neveo's expression changed and he was no longer joking as he replied " That was his son . . ." "And why should I care if a little brat gets killed?" Kursed responded coldly "Everyone makes mistakes. The most important thing you need to do is pick yourself back up and get out of this star system as soon as you can." He said in a gentle voice that seemed to penetrate not only her ears, but also her whole body. She felt his bare hand stroke the side of her face as he bended over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I guess this means that you have had affairs with other species besides your own?" she asked in a low but playful tone. Neveo smiled "Oh yes" he said. "I have been with many others and each more beautiful than the last. And it seems my luck hasn't changed" with a smile on his face. "If you are such the ladies man. Why isn't there any females aboard this ship of yours?" His face became grim and sad as his left eye dropped a tear. "Because the last woman that I gave my heart to, I abandoned. So now I am forced to live in Exile. From love." "Crystal looked at him and said in her soft tone "Are you done yet?" Neveo looked at her and smiled "She has moved on. And I am happy that she did." "How do you know that she did?" Kursed replied in a gentle tone. "Because she has a husband and three children." He said with a light touch of joy. He moved to the bed and sat down next to Kursed. Her hands were wrapped in white gauze but she could still see the blood coursing through.

"Neveo. . . " Kursed said quietly. "Yes?" He said in his usual tone. "Why do they call you. . .The Rebel? Is it because of something you do or promote or something?" She asked interestedly. "Are you sure you want to hear about it?" Kursed nodded. "Well It all began six years ago . . ."And Neveo began his tale . . .


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 :Birth of a Rebel

"A long time ago, six years ago to be precise, I began working with a small group of rebellious species. For long hours we would sit together, drink coffee, and discuss political strategies that could free those across the galaxy who are enslaved by others. One of our primary targets was the planet of Pluto. On Pluto, A group enslaved a group of aliens known as the Minaosaiz. They were a peace loving people until Andross crushed their defenses and allowed the businessmen to move in and demand free forced labor. The Minaosaizians were chained, their children taken, and woman segregated from the men of that race. Our plan was to infiltrate the base, download the general outline of the building, and take out those who enslaved them." He said normally.

"Who were with you in this team of yours?" Kursed asked interestedly. Neveo resonded calmly saying "Well, There were five of us. There was Shania, Neapo, Max, Jaster, and finally myself. Shania was from the planet Zakiras, Neapo from Kew, Max from Corenia, Jaster from Venom, and me from Earth. I have a picture of each one here. On my chain." He moved his hand inside his shirt and pulled out a small gold necklace with a square medallion. He pushed a button on the back and out came a piece of paper that appeared to be very old. "Here" He motioned Kursed to take it as he held it out in front of her. She took it and unwraveled it slowly.

The first thing she noticed was how much younger looking Neveo used to be. In the picture there was a fox, a wolf, a dog, an ape, and at the far right, was Neveo. "This is Shania" Neveo said as he pointed to the white fox. Upon closer examination, Kursed was impressed at how beautiful she was. Her eyes were green and she wore green shorts, black tank top, and light brown leather boots. Her light pink hair was very long as it laid on her shoulders nearly touching her waist. On her back was what appeared to be a space assault rifle. "She was tougher than she looked" Neveo jokingly replied. "She killed four full grown men without breaking a sweat." He added lightly.

"And this is Neapo" he said pointing to the wolf. The wolf was taller than Neveo. His fur was gray and black. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt, black pants, black beret, sunglasses, and black boots. The only thing that had any color was the small red star on his beret, which was tilted to the left. Which was a sign of rebellion. Considering, in this part of the galaxy, a beret to the right represented respect for superiors. "He was the thinker. As far as we could tell, He was a genius when it came to formulating strategies. It was him that allowed us to enter a base undetected and leave with minor damage. No one else I know could pull off this kind of a strategy"

"This is Max" Neveo said as he pointed to the dog. Max was not all that taller than Neveo. In fact, they both seemed to be the same height. Max was wearing dark green pants, black shoes, a red shirt, and again, a black beret with a red star topped of with the sunglasses. "Max was our medical official. He was there when Shania contracted a fatal disease from the planet Kew. He put together some earth plants and venom plants and managed to make an antibody. He was also the nicest guy you could ever hope to meet. He ended up falling in love with and marrying a slave that we freed on one of our missions. " Neveo smiled and laughed "Good times, good times" he said in a happy tone.

"And this is Jaster" Neveo said pointing to the ape next to the younger Neveo. Jaster was wearing blue pants, black boots, black dress shirt, and a beret tipped to the side. His smile suggested that he was happy doing what he was doing. "We joined us after we freed his village from slavery in his home planet. He proved to be valuable, especially since he had this will power to free those enslaved. Whether mentally, or physically, he was there to give comfort and provide someone to talk to. Of all five of us, he was the only one who held to his local beliefs and superstitions." Said Neveo in a joking tone.

Neveo was the one who interested Kursed. He looked very young in the picture. He was still wearing the same clothes except his cape wasn't as tattered in the back. "How old were you when all of you took this picture?" Kursed asked eagerly. "I was eighteen and to be nineteen in another 2 weeks" He replied. "Are u serious?" Kursed spoke with confusion. "But what happened to all of them?" Kursed asked quietly. Immediately she knew she hit a nerve. Neveo's expression changed into that of grief and sadness. "It happened two years ago." He said solemely "We on one of usual missions and than something went wrong. Someone must have discovered where we were staying the night before the raid. Our spaceship was stationed on the outer rim. Shania and I were turning the lights off before we went to bed and than we heard gunshots. We grabbed our blasters and headed down stairs, only to find our comrades on their knees with blasters to their heads. We dropped our weapons and followed the crew to what appeared to be a military base stationed ten minutes away.

When we came in we saw a large pig who's name was Garnada. He owned enormous sums of money and enslaved countless planets in order to further his business in energy crystals. He told us that for every planet er freed, he would kill one worker. He pulled a line of people and shot each on in the head until he reached a small girl who was crying as she threw herself on her dead mother and father. She looked at him with tears and blood covering her face. He put the gun to her head, laughed, and than fired. He body fell with a thump on her parents as the blood dibbled from her now half cracked head. Max screamed and broke free. But as he charged . . . he was shot in the head by a sniper who was perched behind us. As his body lay there, his eyes open, and his hand outstretched, Shania started to cry. To make things quick, I was locked in a prison with no food, Shania was taken to be his slave and mistress, Neapo was to become the test subject for countless venom experiments, Max was killed the next day along with his pregnant wife, and Jaster was cryogenically frozen until they could find a use for him." Neveo took a deep breath and looked out at the desert through the window as tears began to fall down his check. "They were more than just rebels. . .They were my family." He said in a sad and quiet tone. " My mother and father were also killed in a similar incident when I was 6. Since than, I had lived on my own and getting what ever I could get in the streets. I slowly learned the ways of my people and the history.

That's how I came to learn about this sword" He said as he picked up the sword. It was a curious thing. Its blade had designs that looked like wings on the side with strange letter carved on the hilt. The handle was covered with black leather. "Where is it from?" Kursed asked. "It is from Earth and has its roots in an ancient civilization known as Egypt" He said with a look of seriousness on his face. "It is said to posses a special ability to channel energy from the human spirit and deliver it out as energy blasts. It apparently only seems to work with humans and. . ." Kursed cut him off as she grabbed the sword. It glimmered a bright blue. Kursed focused as hard as she could but the blue aura did not change. "Its useless" Kursed whined as she threw it to the floor. "don't be so sure."

Neveo picked it up and it glowed green. He closed his eyes and all of a sudden the aura surrounded his body and five more of him appeared. "Handy little trick eh?" He said with a sneer. All Kursed could do was watch with her mouth open as she started into not one, but 5 neveos who were all identical. She had seen this trick before but usually could tell the real one because only one would cast a shadow. But all five Neveo's cast a shadow and moved indepentely. He closed his eyes again and reverted back into one again. "So why do you fight?" Kursed asked with a curious tone. "I fight for love and freedom, and I know that one day I will find what it is I am searching for." He spoke in a soft tone. But before Kursed could ask the onboard computer let out a loud siren. "Enemy troops and fighters approaching" It shrieked. "Its go time" Neveo said as he ran towards the door. Kursed grabbed her blaster and out with him into an uncertain future. The blast doors opened. And the fighting began.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Battle and Discovery

As the blast doors opened, they were greeted with laser fire on all sides. Kursed and Neveo were hiding behind two large beams. Kursed was on the left and Neveo was on the right. "You should take the left and Ill take the right!" Neveo yelled. "Finally. Some action" yelled Kursed with a big grin on her face. Neveo yelled out "On the count of three!" Kursed raised her blaster. "One!" Neveo drew the sword from its sheath as it glowed a bright green. "Two!" Kursed tightened the grip on her blaster. "Three!!" They each took of in their own direction. The plan was that they would go their way and meet up at the end.

On the left side (Kursed)

She blasted away at everything in her sight. She could see Neveo raise his sword and a powerful energy beam shot out and nearly mowed down al the enemies on his side. Kursed kept running forward picking off the guard hiding behind a laser proof shield. A burly soldier ran towards her firing his laser wildly and screaming "Your not going to hurt me little girlie!" "Thats where your wrong you idiot." She thought. As he drew closer she jumped in the air and did a summer salt. While she was in mid air, she pressed the gun to the back of his exposed head and fired three rounds. The blood sprayed out of the front as the body was sent forward into the sand. She suddenly saw a beam of light coming from the back that nearly grazed her neck. She didn't have time to look back so she kept on running.

A large light brown military tank slowly moved closer and began to fire. Kursed ran from one side to the next, rollin, jumping, and flipping to avoid the laser fire. Until she finally made it to the top of the tank when she opened up the hatchet. "Hello there boys" she said with a smile as she threw a plasma bomb into the room. The men screamed and tried to get out. But Kursed was quicker and sealed the hatch from the outside. She jumped off and watched as she it move a couple meters away until it finally exploded in a bright blaze of light. The door to the ship Neveo said to get to was almost in sight. Its sliver hull reflected the baby blue sky and tan desert. As she got closer she continued to pick off the soldiers running towards and away from her.

"Those who oppose me or get in my way are nothing to me" She said in her head as jumped on the shoulders of a soldier and blew his brains out. She looked to her right to see Neveo cutting through and firing his blaster at the same time. From the corner of her eye, she saw a soldier running towards Neveo, but he didn't seem to notice. Kursed squinted and fired at the sneak attacker. He was blaster back and did not move. However while she defended him she averted her eyes and left herself exposed. and all of a sudden the soldier fired at point blank range. Kursed closed her eyes. but felt a great jolt all of a sudden, as if she had been lifted of the ground. She opened her eyes to see Neveo was carrying her but he had grown large white and beautiful wings. "You f-f-f-flying" Kursed stuttered as she saw Neveo's magnificent wings. "Its another useful trick I learned from the past." Neveo said with a smile

On the right side (Neveo)

He watched as Kursed ran off in the other direction firing away as she ran farther. He held the blade sideways as if to strike. Than he muttered an ancient chant " Hayash Kadee Nooumi Dayahhhh!" As he yelled the swords aura surrounded his body and his sword fired a beam of light that burned through all that was clearly visible in front of him. "Now lets add a little adjustment." He thought as he moved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a ring with three beads. One was red, one was white, and one was blue. He quickly separated the white bead from the other two and held it in the air. It shined a bright white light and wings sprouted from his back.

He jumped in the air and began firing shots from the sky at all the soldiers. Until he saw Kursed on the left and realized that there was a soldier coming and aiming from behind. He pulled out his sword and fired an energy beam towards the hiding assailant. The beam passed through the body and left a gaping hole in the torso. Kursed kept moving on and never looked back. "so beautiful. . " he thought in his head as he saw her dodge the tank fire and threw the bomb inside. He fly back to the ground and continued on foot. with his right hand h olding the sword and his left hand holding the blaster, he preceded to mow down the advancing troops. All of a sudden, he saw a laser blast come from the back. However when he looked back all that lay on the ground was a lifeless body with burnt hole between his eyes and blood staining the tan desert sand.

He felt a sense of danger and than turned to his left, only to see Kursed facing his side. There was a soldier that she did not see. Without thinking, he pulled out the ring of beads and leapt from the ground towards Kursed. He picked her up the second before the soldier fired. In order to make sure he couldn't fire again, he threw his sword at the soldier and watched as it went through his body and left a gaping hole where his heart would be. As looked into Kurseds closed eyes, he felt a small prickle inside his heart. It was as if he wanted what could never be had. Than he thought to himself, "I mean nothing to her, , , or anyone. My love is for those enslaved and no on else. . .but. . .is she a slave herself"

Kursed's eyes begin to open and by her expression, she was lost for words. He smiled and whispered in her ear "I guess Im your guardian angel?" Kursed turned away and gave a slight blush.

When they are together heading towards the ship (Neveo and Kursed)

As they touched the ground Kursed continued to look at his wings with awe. "Where did those come from?" She asked gingerly as she pointed to his now folded wings. "I will explain later. but now we should. . ." All of a sudden, an enormous explosion came from behind. As they turned and looked behind, they saw the ship they had been in erupt in a fiery ball of yellow and red flames. "Why did we leave your ship behind?" Kursed asked as they both looked towards the now level spaceship. "It wasn't mine" Neveo said softly. "That was just a decoy. This is my ship" He said as he pointed at the shiny ship now in front of them. "Lets go!" Kursed wasted no time in following Neveo's call. The blast doors opened to reveal a long corridor. The inside was completely white except for the doors which had black borders. Neveo walked in front of a door and spoke out loud. "Kayesh ahhliad!" The door slide open and the engine began to murmur. As they went inside the room. Kursed noticed it was shaped like a lounge room. The window was large and 5 seats were lined in a row. The one in the center was clean, but the others had large amounts of dust on them, as if no one had touched them in a very long time. Neveo jumped into the chair in the middle and pressed a blue button on the side. Once he pressed it, a computer and drive stick appeared in front of him. He quickly typed numbers into the computer and the handle began to shiver. "You ready?" He asked. Kursed sneered and said "Show me what this baby can do." The engine roared as he pulled the joystick back and the next thing they knew, they were shooting into the sky and into the darkness of space.

"Who made this ship?" Kursed asked as she looked around at the large room. "I did. And Back in the day, we used to call it The Liberator" He said as he laughed a bit. "What else can it do?" She asked interestedly. Neveo smiled as if he had seen something incredibly dirty. "She can go into Hyper-Drive, she has her own onboard Lasers, and a pretty strong deflector shield" "Did you say. . . Hyper-Drive?" Kursed asked with a face that expressed disbelief. Hyper-Space and Hyper-Drive are two completely different forms of travel. Hyper-Space takes you from one place to another, whereas Hyper-Drive instantly transports you from one place to another. "I thought only two ships in the entire galaxy were made with hyper drive."She stammered. "Thats true. But thanks to Neapo, this is the other of the two that has it" He looked over to still see a confused Kursed :Well. . . Before becoming our medical guy, he used to work in Corneria as a mechanic. He took and copied the designs for the top secret Hyper-Drive. After that, he switched a few numbers and made it impossible to comprehend. By doing this, he hoped to use the technology to find his family who had been held prisoner in a distant planet for illegal activities. When I came to him with my ideas, he couldn't resist. We finally installed the necessary parts, tracked down his family, rescued them and many other prisoners, and since then. . . He offered his thanks by agreeing to join our team." "You were pretty lucky running into that guy" she said in a playful tone.

"You have no idea." They both laughed and than Neveo turned to look at her in her eyes. "I better show you to your room" He said with his usual smile. Neveo got out his seat and lead Kursed out the cockpit and turned a right to a room with a green light. "Here is your room" He said as he pressed a green switch. Kursed was impressed. The room was medium size with a medium size bed with navy blue covers. On the left side of the room was a night dresser and a closet. On the left side were hooks to hang clothes and a room that led to what appeared to be a bathroom and a shower. The gray carpeting was a warming change from the cold tiles in the hall. Immediately to her left was a black lever, which when pulled in a certain direction, dimmed or brightened up the room. "Let me know if you need anything. I will be in the cockpit." he said as he turned around to leave. "Hey! Neveo" He turned his head back. "Thanks for helping me" Neveo smiled "No problem" Before he could close the door Kursed yelled out "Don't get any funny ideas about trying to sneak in here while im changing, taking a shower, or asleep! If I see you when im in the shower. . . your a dead man." Neveo smiled and calmly said "You have nothing to worry about. After all, Im just a human. . ." and with that, the doors closed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: An interesting night where two become one

As the doors closed, Kursed unbuckled her utility belt and laid it on the dresser. Than she started to unzip her spacesuit while looking into a mirror that was on the door. She immediately noticed how revealing her outfit was. Kursed always knew how attractive she was, but the way her suit accentuated her feminine curves surprised even her. As she removed the sleeves she felt the rest fall to the floor. As the light from space illuminated her blue fur, she began to move towards the shower room. The thing that caught her eye was how clean it was. The room was all white with a large mirror to the left. The sink was in front of the mirror appeared to be made of stone, like the faucets. Upon closer examination she realized they in fact were made of gray stone.

She could tell this was true because when she touched it, the sink was ice cold and felt like it was carved by hand. "I better get the shower running" she thought as she found the stone like knobs for hot and cold. She bent over and turned the faucet label hot to the left and watched as the water came out and the steam began to rise. She turned to face the now foggy mirror which showed the silhouette of a voluptuous woman with a long tail. As she kicked off her sandal's, she made her way into the shower and reached for the soap. The warm water splashed across her face and felt fantastic as it made its way from her chest down her legs. As the water coursed through her hair and through her hair, she began to think to herself. "What is this man's story? and why is he being so nice?"

Many thoughts rushed through her head as the warm water made its presence known, slowly soaking her fur. The sound of the running water hitting the shower curtain was very relaxing for Kursed. She had gotten so used to the noisy environment, known as her spaceship, that she forgot how pleasant silence really was. Kursed opened her eyes and reached for the shampoo, but once she grabbed it, she felt a pair of hands gently squeeze her hips. Kursed blushed a deep red and spoke in a soft voice " Why are you here? and what do you want to do with me?" There was no reply and she looked behind and realized there was no one there except for a round towel that fell on her back and was soaking wet. She poured the shampoo onto her long blue hair and through her body. She stepped away from the water and pushed the shampoo through her body and into her long blue tail. Once the shampoo and bubbles were pushed of by the water, she shook her head and and turned off the shower. The calming sound of the water hitting the tile ceased, and there was silence. Kursed pulled the shower curtain back and stepped out. The mirror was so foggy that there was no reflection at all. Kursed stood there and than shook off all the water from her fur. Last thing to do was to wiggle the water out her long tail.

She opened the shower door and made her way to a large green bag on top of the bed. She opened it and found a black silk nightgown. "I wonder where Neveo is" she thought to herself. It was strange that she felt no waves of impure thought coming from Neveo's mind. It has been a long time since she practiced her telepathic mind reading abilities. Kursed yawned and opened the door to the ships hall. She looked across to see a door with a hanger that held Neveo's tattered scarf. She made her way left towards the door surrounded by neon blue lights. The door opened slowly to reveal the cockpit she had been in earlier. There, sitting on the chair facing space was Neveo. "What's up? your up late." Kursed said in a calm voice. Neveo turned his head to look back at who was talking to him. Kursed almost screamed when she saw his face. It looked completely different. The proportions were the same but there was a darkness around his eyes and an evil smirk on his face. It was as if he was a completely different person, someone. . . evil. Just as soon as she saw this face, Neveo blinked and his face returned to the normal and gentle one she had got used to.

"What was that about?" Kursed asked in a serious tone. Neveo turned away and looked as if he had been caught doing something very wrong. "Its nothing" He replied coldly. Kursed closed her eyes and attempted to read his mind without him knowing. She couldn't get through, instead all she saw was darkness. "Its not polite to read another's mind without permission." He said in a calm tone. "You can tell?" she asked with shock in her voice. "Yes I can. . . so you saw my yami?" "Whats a yami?" she asked. "yami means dark. you saw my dark side than?" "You mean the other you?" "yes" he said calmly. "When I was young I saw many things, and the only way i could cope with it was to store all my anger and sadness into another personality. and thus my dark side was born. but don't worry. I can control him." "how do you manage that?" she said curiously. He pulled out a gold medallion that was in the shape of a sideways rectangle with two spikes dangeling on either side. On the front it had two designs, one that was shaped like an eye, the other, in the shape of a cross with a loop on the top and strange symbols all over.

"This medallion is from an ancient civilization that once existed on Earth known as Egypt. I found it and learned that it has the unique ability to channel the negative energy of a persons soul and also can detect whether a person has crated an alternate persona in order to hide away pain. Thats how I knew I could trust you." Kursed did not reply "Can I see your alternate personality?" She asked. "Are you sure?. . . " Kursed hesitated but calmly said "Yes". Neveo looked into her eyes and said "Its fine with me. . . but be careful." With that, a gold glow was emitted by the medallion. Kursed squinted at the large amount of light, and then opened a little to see the same expression she saw earlier. "Hello there sexy." came a deep and evil voice.

"Is that you? . . . Neveo?" The figure smiled and said in a low tone "Somewhat. . . but now that fool is gone. And your talking to me now, short stuff" He said as he smiled menacingly "I like your outfit you got on little kitten. what do you think if we took it off and see where things go from here?" He said, again in that low tone that sent shivers down her spine. Kursed was quite shocked hearing these words coming from such a nice person she knew. " I would never waste my time doing something like that with you." She responded coldly. "Oh really?" he said. Next thing she knew she was pinned to the ground with a blaster pointed to her head. "I guess I have no further use for you than." He then rolled his eyes behind his head and licked the side of her neck than began to laugh maniacally. "Get off!" she yelled as she struggled to free herself. Than he did something she would never soon forget. He fired his blaster, but luckily, she moved her head just in time. For a second she thought to herself. "He actually tried to kill me.. . ." His tongue was hanging out his mouth, when she noticed that the medallion started to glow again. "nooooooo!!" screamed Neveo as he put his hands to his head and pulled his hair. The light glared again, and there was complete silence. Kursed was lying on the ground and his head was on her lap panting very very quickly. He looked up and she noticed that he was his normal self again. His face wasn't as contorted with madness, but still. . . She would never forget the day she encountered his other half. "Are you alright?" He asked weakily. "Yes. Im fine" she responded caringly. As Neveo collapsed into her lap, she thought to herself. "Mabye he can help me find a way I can go back to the person I was. . . back to Krystal. . ."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Viva La Lone Star!

As Kursed wiped the sweat form her forehead, she quickly regained her composure. She noticed that Neveo had collapsed and was in a deep sleep, suggested by his calm breathing pattern. As she felt his warm breath on her leg, she looked down and smiled. She than took her hand and pushed it through his dark and thick hair. She immediately noticed it was light to the touch but very thick. "I guess he had a long day" She thought quietly as she continued to stroke her hands through his hair. As she pushed some of his hair to the side, she noticed a long but thin scar along his face.

"Where did this come from?" She thought as she leaned closer to examine the depth of the wound. It appeared to be very deep and looked as if it was cut during a fight by a very fine blade. For what seemed like hours, the two lay there together and for the first time in many years. Kursed felt at peace with herself and her surroundings. As she held him, she could feel his heart beat slowly from deep within is body. It was as if the beating of his heart could be felt throughout her entire body.

His eyelids began to slowly open to reveal the light brown eyes she had not previously been able to see. As he opened his eyes he spoke in a very low tone but happy tone "sorry for falling asleep on you like that." He said as he slowly rose up and bean to make his way to the control board. "We better make our way quickly so we can avoid any unnecessary attention." "Where are we headed?" Kursed replied with an interested tone. "Were headed straight for the planet Nakeeyama in the capitol Yama. The second largest trading capitol in the universe, next to Corneria " Kursed was thrown off a little by surprise when she heard that Neveo had a place in mind already.

Especially since he had been unconscious just a moment ago. Neveo spoke out loud to a small microphone that came out the dashboard. "Activate Hyper-Drive! Set Location to the city of Yama located on Planet Nakeeyama" The computer made a loud whirring voice came on and said" Destination and method of travel are confirmed. Starting rear engines!" Immediately, the ship began to shake as she could hear the engine roar behind her. "Thats right. You never got to see Hyper Drive before have you?" Asked Neveo interestedly. Kursed shook her head and looked at through the window. "Its a bit of a shocker the first time around. But youll get used to it." He said calmly as he pulled a green level on the side of his chair. "Kursed suddenly felt as if she was floating in air, and when she looked down, she noticed she was. "Hold onto something" He said quickly. All of a sudden, space was gone and was replace by a field of blinding white light. In all her years, she had never seen or felt something like this before. It was as if she was melting, but as soon as the feeling came, it was gone. The view of a planet replaced the previous light which had almost blinded her. "Where were we when that light came out?" She asked through her heavy breathing. Neveo turned around "We were in another dimension known as the Dimension 10. It is a dangerous place but also the quickest way from getting to one place from another. In other words, you saw the world people pass when they teleport."

Even though explanation made no sense, Kursed chose to just nod as if she understood. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide as she saw the city that were now in. It was a city in the clouds where the surrounding atmosphere was clear and resembled a clear and bright sky. There were clouds randomly scattered across as far as the eye could see, and there it was. A huge city suspended in mid air as if held by the clouds themselves. The city was large and from above appeared to be a rectangular shape. On the city's surface there appeared to be trees and large skyscrapers littered across the suspended metropolis. "Its beautiful. Isn't it?" Neveo asked calmly. Kursed turned to face him and smiled "Yes it is. . . yes is it"

"It gets larger once you get to the ground level" he said as he pushed the lever forward. The ship began to make its slow, but silent, descent and Kursed immediately realized how big the city of Yama really was. It went from being a small but formidable rectangle with pretty lights, to an enormous city as far as the eye could see. She immediately noticed the pad that they landed on was green which usually meant that the space was open to anyone. "It looks like its time to get out and meet some new clients" Neveo said as he got up off his chair and made way to the door. Kursed turned and followed him out the door, through the hall, and into the city of Yama.

"Its just like Corneria, only suspended in midair" thought Kursed as she walked with Neveo along a green lighted path to a shiny door. They walked to the door and it automatically opened revealing a large mall like interior. There were shops and boutiques everywhere she looked and with people going in and out constantly. Kursed walked ahead of Neveo, towards what looked like railing, in order to see how high up they were. As she looked down she almost fainted. She could not see the bottom, but what she could see were and endless set of levels both up and down. "What f-f-floor are we on?" Kursed stuttered as she continued to look up and down. "You are on the 600th floor my dear." said a crooked voice.

She wasn't surprised when she saw a old camel with large round glasses looking up at her. He was about to take off his glasses when Kursed felt someone pull her quickly away. "What are you doing!?" she yelled as her eyes met Neveos. "He is what some call a Ukata-Ubauna" She looked into his eyes and he knew she was still confused "They are special salesman who have mastered the technique of hypnosis that they use to get a costumer to come to the store that hired them and force them to buy until their clean out of cash" He said quickly. "How do you. . " "I know because I saw the manner of how he approached you and how he answered your question even though he did not know you. Also, I felt a aura of greed when I looked behind him" He said before before Kursed could finish her sentence as they turned and walked into an elevator. After the elevator stopped and they began to walk, Kursed began to think to herself.

It was obvious that there was more than meets the eye when it came to this Neveo character. What was disturbing to her was that even though she was a psychic, she could not make out any signs of evil intent surrounding the old man. Could this Neveo character be gifted? or Cursed. She had already seen the terror of his other personality. The personality who's madness and thirst for blood made Andross seem like a teddy bear. "Who was that other personality and how did it get there?" she thought to herself as she looked to her left and watched Neveo. Her thoughts about this subject continued until she heard his voice say sternly "Here we are" She shook her head and realized that she had not noticed how far they had come.

In front of her was a blue space car and a Parrot standing next to a sign with the word "Rentals" written in fading green ink. "How long will you be?" asked the parrot dully as he looked at Neveo. She just noticed that Neveo had gone back into his hidden look, with the sunglasses and scarf. "We will be 4 hours" He said, and with that, Neveo dropped three coins into a brown bag the parrot gave him. "Have a great day" Said the parrot without the slightest hint of joy or interest. Neveo walked to the other side of the car to open the door for Kursed, but she as too quick and opened the door herself "That gentlemen stuff is nice. but a serious waste of time" she said as she closed the door before he could.

"Hoho. What an attitude! You got your hands full with that one" said the parrot with a slight chuckle. Neveo glared and proceeded to open his door and start the ignition. "Why are you moving so quickly? Whats the big rush?" Kursed asked as she noticed Neveo quickly shifting into gear and stepping on the floor peddle. "I don't want to be here when he realizes the surprise I left him." He said as he looked into her confused face. "Surprise?" she asked "Remember the four coins I gave him?" She nodded "They were . . . . uhhhhhh. . . . chocolate coins. he said with a hint of pride. Kursed couldn't help but let out a laugh as the clear blue sky came into view as they jetted out of the building. "We are going to a place that looks very different from here and you may not like what you see" Neveo said, but this time, with a cold and serious voice.

Kursed tilted her head in confusion and noticed Neveo pull out a small blue crystal. "What the . . ?" she said as he pulled out a silver box with a blue button from under his seat. He frowned as he looked at it and pressed it. She felt this weird tingly sensation go from her feet up her body as the engine stopped making any sound. What frightened her was that the beautiful clear skies they had seen in the window earlier, were now replaced by a dark brown and maroon colored sky with clouds that were red like blood. The ground below was littered with shanty looking houses and huge twisted pipes dispensing black gas at an endless rate. "welcome to the slums also know as Alpha-Yama" Neveo said as the car made its way down to the surface.

The people here were in sharp contrast to the ones in the city above the clouds. These people looked broken and hard, but what was most notable was the immense energy of depression she could feel when her eyes met theirs. "This is where we spent most of our time when we were not on missions" Neveo said as he parked the car and turned of the engine. People started to gather around it and Kursed immediately sensed a great surge of hatred and anger course through the approaching people. Kursed unclipped her blaster from its holster but Neveo put his hand on her lap "Don't worry, we are among friends" He said as he made his way out the car.

At first she thought he was crazy to get out the car, especially since the gathering crowd appeared to have no intention of welcoming the visitors from above. However, once out the car, Neveo removed his glasses and the scarf that covered his face and she felt an instantaneous explosion of joy from the crowd. "Its Neveo!" A young woman yelled as she appeared to be completely overcome by shock. Immediately, several men from the crowd came up to shake his hand and stuttered as they spoke "Is it r-r-really you?" they asked with a hint of hope. "Yes" He said with a smile as he pulled out his sword. This alone seemed to convince everyone that this was in fact the real deal. Kursed opened the door and made her way out.

She quickly noticed that everyone's attention shifted towards her direction. "Now, now, now! what do we have here?" Said a big panther next to Neveo "Just when I thought the last girl you were with was hot. . . You go out and get yourself a vulpine goddess" The entire crowed was keenly interested in Neveo's so-called latest girlfriend. A bear, also next to Neveo, nudged his side and asked with a naughty smile "I must say Neveo. In all my years traveling the Universe. I have never seen a woman with such a full figure!" Neveo turned away, obviously trying not to show any sign of embarrassment, and twiddled his thumbs. "He likes them with a full figure! Neveo you sly dog you! Now we see why you come late to meetings sometimes! Hell if I had a girl that looked like her and I were his age!. . . I would show up during the day and disappear at night!" Said a small but lively looking Penguin. The entirecrowd roared with laughter as Neveo turned a bright red. "My dear lady, welcome to Alpha-Yama" said an aged bull. "Or as it is better known around these parts. Lone Star the home of some of the most daring and finest revolutionary minds in the entire Universe!" Said the panther. She noticed all the animals in the crowd and the surrounding house, raise their left fists in the air and yelled in unison. "Viva La Lone Star!!"

--

Editors note: Hey guys! Its your main man Juliano. Sorry it took me awhile to put this up and if it is too long. The next chapter is going to go in depth about this community and its impact that has not only affected Neveo, but Kursed as well and a special mission. New allies, new missions, new places, and new dangers await Neveo and Kursed as their journey continues into the chapters to come! So until than. lemme know what you think with a comment or two!

Juliano Signing off till next time!

Peace and Love


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Infamous Quadarlia four situation

After the loud, but brief, declaration of pride a lion beckoned the two closer. The lion then spoke with an accent that was obviously not local saying " Fallaho mie." His voice calm and Neveo nodded to Kursed as they both made their way following right behind the lion. As they were walking, Kursed noticed many curious but disheartening things as she passed through the town. What caught her eye was a group of 5 children whom were of many different species. They appeared to be playing in a pile of trash while one was running around them in circles.

"They are looking for dinner" said Neveo in a cold and solemn tone as he noticed Kursed's curiosity. "Some town you got here" She replied in a tone that was just as cold, as if she didn't care at all. The truth was that inside she felt a great feeling of pity for those who she saw along the path they were following. Another thing that caught her eye was the fact that there was no pavement, no cars, no fancy stores, and clearly no pollution control. "Here we are" said the lion in a quiet but relieved tone. They had stopped at a small bar with the only neon light sign they had seen thus far. The name of the bar was "Big Ale's Bar and Grill". "Thank you Leonko" Neveo said as he opened the doors to the bar. The room was small and the bar counter on the left appeared to be made of withered wood. "This way" Neveo whispered as he walked behind the counter.

He stopped and stood where he was right after he closed the swing door to the counter. "Were almost there. Stay close and don't move" were the words he said as he pulled out his sword and pushed into a small crack in the floor. All of a sudden, a bright blue circle appeared around them and Kursed instantly knew that it was a transporter. The next thing they knew, they were inside a large room. The room appeared to be square and it clearly ancient, as there was moss hanging from the top. The stone was also clearly ancient. "We must be near water" she thought as she heard drops of water hit what sounded it like puddles on the floor. The sound echoed through the room in her very soul. It was than that Kursed noticed that the door about several steps away stood out from the rest. It was made of gray but kept up stone. What caught Kursed attention was what appeared to be a big silver knob that was in the middle rather than the side of the door. Also, the strange symbols carved into the door and large eye like design at the top clearly demanded attention. She turned her head to see Neveo walk in front of it. When he stepped into the circle design on the floor, her worst fears were realized. The eye design moved and looked at Neveo as he stood still. "Don't worry, but again, . . . don't move" He said as a beam of gold light shot from the eye on the door, to his forehead. The light than disappeared, along with the eye as the door opened slowly making a heavy noise as it grinded along the stone floor.t

As the door slowly opened, Kursed saw a large, stone, rectangular table, with several lit candles scattered across the surface. There were four seats on the left and right. On right sat four individuals wearing cloaks with hoods that covered their face. On the left were four empty seats with two of them being covered by blankets. "We are glad you two could join us for the briefing." said the cloaked figure sitting next to where they were standing. "Im sure she can be of more useful in this mission. . . or should I say job?" said another. Neveo motioned his hands towards the two uncovered seats on the other side. He and Kursed make their way towards the chairs and sit down. "So what is this all about anyways?" Kursed said as she placed her feet on top of the table and began to file her nails. "You must capture these four men. and the bounty is dead or alive." said the cloaked figure in the middle of the table as he pushed an envelop towards the two. Neveo reached for it and pulled out the documents.

There were four sheets of paper with pictures attached by paper clips. "These four are known as the infamous Quadarlia four. They are an elite group of torturers who specialize in brutal interrogation. . . they must be brought to just before more fall victim to their experiments!" There was silence that filled the room. Than Neveo spoke, "So in other words. Your requesting an assassination?" "The hooded figure nodded and pulled a leather sack from underneath his cloak and dropped it in front of Kursed "We know about your prices and have agreed to the estimated amount of 3 and a half million Utaras" said the cloaked figure in his hoarse voice. Kursed eyed the sack and then took it "Count me in" she said as she began to flip through the enormous bundles of cash" She turned to see Neveo and was surprised to see that he was looking at her with disappointed eyes. He turned away and nodded his head at the four hooded figures.

Kursed than noticed that the hooded figure on the far left was whispering to the person next to her. She then removed the hood to Kurseds great surprise. What was underneath was an even greater surprise, for underneath the hood was a young, brown haired human girl. However, there was something different about this girl, because when Kursed looked into her eyes she noticed the iris of both eyes were rainbow. Another interesting detail was that the eyes were squinted in a way that suggested deep hate. "I-I-Its you. . ." She stuttered as her body began to tremble from the amount of anger and hate. Kursed then noticed that this woman was looking directly at her. "You have a problem?" Kursed asked emotionlessly. The young woman than jumped from her seat towards Kursed. As she jumped in the air, Kursed saw what she looked like. She was wearing what appeared to be a brown leather shirt that came down towards her knees. The green pants she wore were torn in the side. The most intriguing feature was the belt she wore at her waist. It appeared to be a utility belt with about ten to twelve brown leather packs stitched onto it. The necklace she wore was made out of what appeared to be bones, and like Neveo, she had a sword which was now drawn.

Kursed moved quickly to her left and managed to dodge the attack. As she dodged the attack, she pulled a knife and threw it at the woman, and it hit her on the neck. Blood spurted out and the woman was on the ground, and still looking at Kursed. Kursed than walked up to the motionless figure and placed her blaster to the side of her attackers head. Kursed smiled and spoke in a low tone "Don't touch me. . ." A shot rang out as she pulled the trigger and the laser passed through her head. As the body collapsed to the floor, Kursed shot the head another 6 times. As she put her blaster away, she noticed that no one in the room moved or made a sound.

A hooded figure coughed and spoke in a low and humorous tone "That was smart. . .Oh well. . .Your funeral. . ." She then glared at him as she spoke "What do you mean?" The cloaked figure raised a wrinkled finger and pointed to where the woman she had just killed was lying dead. As Kursed turned her head, she saw something that almost made her faint. She was moving and began to get up. Her face was distorted from the blast but all of a sudden, began to reshape itself back to normal. The blood that had poured out her body was now gone and the burnt hole on the side of her face was coming back together.

"Is that all you can do?. . .you. . you SCUM!!" The lady charged again, but this time her fellow cloaked figures suddenly appeared to hold her back. "No Demia. . . not here" Said the figure to her left as her whispered in her ear. She stopped resisting and looked at Kursed with eyes full of blood lust and pure hatred. She than closed her eyes and disappeared. "What was all that about?" Kursed asked Neveo. He looked towards the others who had returned to the table, as quickly as they had left. "Your lucky we told her to hold off" one said in a calm voice. "Why would you say. .?" She was cut off when everyone said in unison "Because you would have been dead before your next breath"

The room got silent as she took the seat again. "Can you at least give me an explanation to why she acted that way? . . I never seen her in my whole life" The three remaining disguised figures looked at each other and one began to speak. "Do you remember a mission you undertook four years ago on the Planet Kahneed?" She nodded and the figure continued "That mission you took. . .The family you slaughtered. . .and the town you burned to the ground. . .That was her village. . .and she was the only survivor. . ." Kursed was unmoved and simply yawned, "Yeah. . .so?" The figure than asked another question but this time, was much more serious. "Why would you do something like that? Do have any remorse for the people you killed?" Kursed looked to the side and spit on the ground. "Nope" she said coldly.

"We have more important things to discuss, so lets move on as quickly as we can" said another figure to the right. Again there was silence until another figure spoke again "The four men you are after are extremely dangerous and must be confronted with extreme caution. They are excellent fighters and pilots. You will rendezvous at the city of Kirkana, located on the Planet Zikar. Once there, you will met with our spy who will inform you of their movement. From the data we have gathered, it is safe to confirm that they are traveling light and they will be there in the next four days." She gave Neveo a yellow card which he took as the figure continued to speak. "This is the business card which has the location of where you will find our informer who will help you further. Remember though, if you run into a situation where you are captured by the four. . .do yourself a favor. . . and find a way to end your life as quickly as possible. . ."

Neveo stood up and said in a cold tone "It is time to leave. Lets go" Kursed looked puzzled and asked "Is that it?" "Let me see who you are. . ." she thought as she began to pull off the hood of the now motionless figures. Her heart stopped for a second when she removed the hood to reveal a now faceless stone and body in the shape of a human. The echo of Kurseds scream traveled as she saw the stone figures. "What happened?" she yelled at Neveo. His response was quick and cold. "None of your concern" he said looking away and walking towards the door.

Again, he raised his medallion to the eyes and it opened. However, As Kursed was leaving she noticed several paintings that were hung around on the damp and vine covered walls. It was a painting of a man a woman and a small little girl and boy. They were all smiling, but the little girl was the one she noticed first. What caught her attention were the oddly familiar rainbow eyes and long black hair. "Is that?. . ." Her words were stopped as Neveo came to a halt and turn around. "Yes. . .That is her. it is Demia Suka. The daughter of the family and village your slaughtered" "Who is the older weirdo next to her?" she asked coldly. That was . . . My comrade from before. . ." The room got quiet. "Lets go. We need to complete our mission." Neveo said sternly. As they were walking Kursed spoke under her tone. . . "He was a fool and got what he deserved" Neveo stopped as his body began to shake, but he kept walking. Kursed, as always, had no remorse for those she killed. But for one reason or another. . .A tear fell down her cheek as they walked through the doors and an uncertain future.

From Writer: I am so sorry for taking such a long time to put up a new chapter. I have been doing alot of college homework. I will try as hard as I can to put more up. . .and sooner. Again I say. Sorry!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The ruins of the Aquarrias

The door opened and the two stepped out together towards the exit. The door creaked as the returned to see the slums and their cruiser. "Its time for us to leave." Neveo said as he wrapped the scarf around his face and put his shades on. Kursed nodded and followed him to the car. Before they got in, a young girl walked up to Neveo and greeted him. "Hello Anubia" He said in a shy but happy tone. From what Kursed could see, she was absolutely gorgeous. Her long green hair and two bright red eyes were her most striking features, not to mention the dress she wore left very little to the imagination. This girl must be human but Kursed could not understand the animal ears she had on her head. "Kursed. . .I would like you to meet Anubia. . .She will be accompanying us for this part of the journey." Neveo said with a slight smile. "Great. . . As if I don't have enough to deal with. .now I get this little brat" Kursed replied coldly." Neveo bent over Anubia and whispered in her ear "Give her time, you will come to appreciate that attitude. . ." Neveo than opened the door for the young girl and situated himself in the drivers seat.

"Next stop. . . My Ship" He said as he pulled a green lever on the left side of his seat. A loud and ominous roaring sound came from the middle of the car s He pulled the lever. The next thing Kursed knew, she swirling in a stream of endless color and light. The feeling was gone, almost as soon as it had come and there in front of her was Neveo's ship. The three stepped out the car and entered the vessel. The door slammed and locked behind them as Anubia was the last to enter the craft. "What are the coordinates for Aquarrias?" Asked Neveo. Anubia whispered something in his ear and he typed it in and they were off. Neveo then turned around and told Kursed they were on their way. "We are going to a place covered almost entirely by water. However, there are some ruins there that I need to visit before I go further.

Kursed nodded as Neveo turned around and left the room. "So what is your buisness here?!" Kursed asked the young girl to her right. Her voice was small and innocent as she spoke. "I am here because I have chosen to be. That is all and nothing else" She then got into the car. Neveo looked onward as Kursed situated herself inside. Neveo pushed the button underneath his seat, and almost instantly, they found themselves face to face with Neveo's ship. It looked as broken down and decrepit as they left it. Neveo, Anubia, and Kursed walked together into the hatchet which now came down to form a ramp which lead to the inside. Kursed immediatly noticed Anubia's reaction when she saw the inside of the ship. Neveo turned around and spoke calmly to her. "If you go two doors down to where the purple light is, that is the guest room where you will stay for the duration of this flight." He said as he pointed down the long white hallway.

"Kursed. . .I need you to accompany me to the cockpit and assist me with the directions and the controls." Neveo said as he turned to face Kursed. "No problem." she responded quickly. As Anubia headed towards her room, Kursed and Neveo turned left and entered the cockpit and central command room. Once again, they were greeted with the large window looking out towards the front of the ship. Neveo sat down in his chair and pulled the levers to get the engine started. As soon as he pulled all the way, the engine hummed and the ship vibrated. The feeling of taking off the ground soon followed, as this happened Kursed took the opportunity to ask Neveo something that was on her mind. "What is so important about some shitty ruins in the middle of a water covered planet?" Neveo smiled. "A long time ago, the ruins used to be a great civilization where a great power was hidden. This power, if wielded by the wrong person, could prove more than costly. Just imagine if someone like Garnada were to get his hands on it. . . The results would be catastrophic" He said as he looked onward. "In addition, The Ruins themselves are believed to be breathtakingly beautiful!" He added with a smile.

She looked onward as the starlight darkness of space came into view. "It will be a couple hours before we reach our destination. So If you wish, you may stay here and keep watch or have some food" He said in a calm tone. Kursed stretched and then turned away to it in the chair. She closed her eyes as she heard Neveo's footsteps walk away and the door close behind him. She then opened them and got up to look around. There was something that immediately caught her eye. Turns out it was a book with a shiny spine binding . On the binding it read "The Ancient Civilization of Aquarrias". She opened the book and began to read the first chapter title "The History of a Lost Civilization and Hidden Power of the Gods"

Authors note: I so freaking sorry about not having uploaded more! I just had so much work that I never had time to finish it. But now that im back home i will have time to write my story. Thank you and again. Im VERY VERY Very Sorry!


	10. Chapter 10

The book of questions for answers

As Kursed opened the book, she was overcome with a feeling of fear starting from head and that traveled down her body. She read the first chapter and was astonished to see what it showed.

_Many years ago, There lived a great civilization known as Aqquarias. This land was originally built by humans on earth to test ancient weaponry found in archeological digs. So far, There had been no success. . . . Until a blade was discovered in the house of a small family in a country once known on earth as Egypt. The governments of the world made it their goal to take the sword from the family, once they realized how powerful and valuable it was. At first they offered money and gold, but to no avail. The family stated that the sword could not be given to anyone and in fact should be destroyed. Once the governments got wind of this, A team was sent to "eliminate" the obstacle. The family and village they lived in was destroyed and all were butchered like cattle. However, the sword was no where to be seen, as well as the son of these two people. It was eventually discovered that the son left with the sword and shot out into the universe with no destined course. What we have gathered about the power of the sword is that it contains a seriously unimaginable power. The ability to manipulate matter and unleash incredible power. . ._

As Kursed kept reading on she felt a hand on her shoulder. She gave a shriek and jumped, "What the hell are you doing?!" she yelped. Neveo smiled and spoke in a calm voice. "They got the power of the sword all wrong." after speaking he let out a boisterous laugh. "Even after all this time, they are still trying to kill me and take my heirloom." he put his hand behind his back and pulled a sword out of the black and worn out sheath. Out came out a long blade with a beautiful shine and strange symbols etched on the sparkling blade. She looked at it with awe and saw a jewel with what appeared to be a liquid inside. "Is that where the power comes from?" She asked as she pointed to the liquid filled jewel on the swords hilt. Neveo looked and smiled. "No, Its just water!! But it acts alot like a magnifying glass!" He said with a happy tone.

A siren rang loudly and a calm woman's voice spoke. "We have arrived at our destination of Aqquarias." Neveo threw the sword in the air and turned around, and just as if by coincidence, the sword fell perfectly back into the sheath. ""You ready to go?" Kursed looked up and replied "yes" She ran to the window to look at the planet and was overcome by how beautiful it was. It looked just like a blue diamond shining with the lights reflection. However, something startled her, "Is there any land?" Neveo replied as he pulled out a stone from his utility belt. "Yes, it is small but our ship should have no problem landing there. Don't forget. . . . Thats why these are called ruins" As the came closer, The planets surface became much clearer and she realized the water was crystal clear. The closer they got, the more she began to see giant stones scattered across the ocean floor. The stone were large, old, and covered in moss. So much so, that the symbols engraved seemed almost invisible to the naked eye.

A large spit of land became visible as the ship slowed its landing speed. Finally, after a small ping and a slight vibration, the ship came to a stop. "We are here" said neveo as he left the room. Kursed walked out the room and down the slope. She exited the ship and saw neveo and anubia sitting on the sand and looking up at the sky. "Wow, this place is beautiful!" It was even more impressive when one saw from the ground level With an ocean that seemed to never stop and water so clear, one could see underneath. "Its this way. . ." said Anubia as she pointed towards a path of strange rocks. They made their way towards the stones and Kursed realized, to her astonishment, that the stone path stretched over to the endless ocean that lay before them. The stone looked ancient and had dark green moss growing all over. "How far is this shithol from here?" Neveo smiled and said "not too far, about 10 minutes" They all began walking. The stones, contrary to appearance, were warm and soft, like small clouds. they walked for ten minutes but nothing seemed to come into view. Kursed noticed that there was no life in the water, no fish, and no sea critters. "Why are there no sea animals here? or people to be exact?" said Kursed. Neveo responded very simply " The weapons the tested on this planet had many effects on the original inhabitants of this planet, I would say that they were all wiped out" A calm mist began to appear around the water and Neveo cracked a smile and said "Here we are." In front of them stood an enormous temple that was covered in grass, trees, and moss. In addition to being enormous, it had strange symbols carved all around the building itself. However, two symbols stood out from the rest, what appeared to be a bird and on the other side what appeared to be an upside down cross. This building seemed like a plant and only grew bigger when they reached the giant stone doors. As they reached the doorway, Anubia pulled out a rock with all the colors of the rainbow and raised it towards the door and a stream of white light came down on the stone from what appeared to be the sun. The beam hit the rock and then hit the doorway. and suddenly, as if being simultaneously, the symbols carved in the stone flashed a bright light that was almost blinding and then stopped. The doors slowly opened and then the three found themselves looking into an enormous room with a bright glowing pool in the middle of the room. "They haven't found it yet, thank God" The three slowly moved inside as the doors slowly closed behind them. " Kursed began to realize the utter size of this room as there appeared to be no ceiling and no other rooms or stairways. Than, something caught her eye and her heart began to race. . . . . Gold. . . . . .a room made of gold!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Necessary Sidetrack

As she looked at the towering walls of glistening gold, she noticed that Neveo was not surprised by the gold. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Kursed screamed at Neveo. Neveo turned to look at her with raised eyebrows. "Why should I be? All I see are walls made of stone covered with moss." He said calmly." Neveo than proceeded to walk towards the opposite end of the ruins to see for himself what is going on. "It looks like no one has been here recently," He said as he breathed with a sigh of relief. Kursed noticed that the walls had strange markings and symbols engraved all over. She instantly noticed six circles that were stacked like a pyramid in the middle of the wall and its designs. Three circles formed the base, 2 circles formed the middle, and one circle was placed at the top. Turning her head, she noticed that Neveo was walking towards the blue shining pool. He then pulled a small glass jar out of his sling bag he had tucked away beneath his cape and placed it in the water. The water, as if on its own, began to flow inside the glass jar until it was all gone. Neveo quickly pulled out a cork and sealed the jar before he put it away. "Glad that's over with." he said quietly as he began to make his way closer to where Kursed was standing. "Interested aren't you?" he said in his usual calm tone. Kursed looked on as if she had not heard what he said but stood quiet and listened. "Well. . ." Neveo said as he began his explanation. "Long ago, this island, as I mentioned, was a place that was used to test "special weapons" right?" Kursed nodded and Neveo continued his narration, " Well, some of those weapons, . . . were people" Kursed turned quickly and gave a face of shock. "People? . . " she said in a confused tone. Neveo smiled and pointed to the pyramid of six circles.

"Thousands of years ago, there existed a group of six siblings, each with an extraordinary power and ability that was almost limitless. Each individual controlled one of the six earthly elements. From fire, water, earth, lightening, wind, and finally the mysterious sixth element, which even today, no one knows existed. These six legendary warriors fought with invaders from other planets to protect the human race. However, unlike other species, they were mortal and grew weary and old as time pressed forth. Until one day, they sealed their powers away, thus causing their deaths. Earth as a planet fell apart, without the sacred guardians to assist them; they now relied on themselves and the unsurpassable human desire of greed and corruption. However, I, being a human have knowledge of a certain event that has taken place and which has been brought to my attention by my fellow comrades." Neveo said sternly. "Which is?" Kursed implied quietly as Neveo turned to look at her with a face that expressed obvious worry. "The six guardians powers, once at peace, have been released. And given to six infants who have recently come of the age where their power begins to manifest its true strength" He said calmly. Kursed was confused and puzzled by what this all meant. "So what are we to do now that these powers have been released?" Neveo smiled. "We find the kids who possess these powers before they fall into the wrong hands. Plus, we need to find a place where they can be safe and live a normal life." Neveo said sternly. "How old are these brats?" Kursed snapped, "They are three boys and three girls. They range from 18 to 12. The youngest is a girl and the oldest is a boy. However, I have no idea who has which power. But regardless, we must find them and quickly before anything" Kursed noticed that Anubia grabbed Neveo's arm and spoke in a hurried tone. "They're coming!" Suddenly, a loud bang could be heard outside as the walls and foundation of the building were shaken.

"Damnit!" Neveo spoke in a quick and hushed tone and grabbed Anubia and lifted her onto his back. He looked Kursed in the eye and spoke in a serious tone "Do you have a flare?" Kursed pulled out a flame and activated the device. At once the light illuminated the room they were in and gave a perspective of how enormous the room was. Kursed could not even see the ceiling. She then noticed that Anubia pulled out the multicolored stone and pointed it to the ground. With a loud rumble, a passage way was revealed that displayed a flight of stairs. "Lets go!" shouted Neveo as he ran down the steps with Kursed following. Before they made it all the way in, a shot was fired as a blue laser whizzed past Kursed's left ear. "Now that's more like it!" cried Kursed as she drew her pistol and began firing at the darkness. The blue light from the laser fire illuminated the enemy as one was hit, and she noticed to her horror that the pursuers were numbered in the hundreds. As Kursed jumped down the flight of stairs she heard the stone tablet quickly close, as the noise grew quiet. "You idiot!" yelled Neveo as they were running "What do you mean jackass?" Kursed replied coldly "Thanks to your trigger happy habits they know where we are!" Neveo said with a serious look on his face. "Where are we going?" she replied, "We are heading south and then north to resurface above water and make our escape. These caves and passages were built many years ago by the great guardians themselves and were used as a training grounds" Neveo explained calmly. Their footsteps made echoes as they ran down the flight of stairs to a room with three passages. "Right!" yelled Neveo as he quickly turned. Suddenly a loud explosion could be heard from the stairway they came from. What they passed as they ran down the hall frightened Kursed as she looked at the bones, and animal remains that littered the floor. "I have a bad feeling about this," thought Kursed as she ran, blaster in hand and at the ready. Neveo turned his head and calmly stated "there is no need to worry about anything, however I feel bad for my pursuers though." Instantly they began to hear screams and cries of terror from their unidentified pursuers but they kept moving. "There it is!" shouted Neveo as he pointed towards a black and empty room ahead. Neveo began to slow his pace and stopped halfway into the room " What are you doing?" asked Kursed with a hurried tone.

Neveo pointed downwards as Kursed moved forward to look at what he was pointing at and was horrified by what she saw. As she looked down she saw an enormous whirlpool swirling at an incredible speed and then she turned to look at Neveo and noticed he was smiling " Are you fucking kidding me?" Kursed asked in an exasperated and annoyed tone. Neveo simply smiled, set Anubia down, ran towards the whirlpool, and dived headfirst into it. In the blink of an eye, he was gone. "Your turn." said Anubia in a happy tone. "You go first!" Kursed yelled. Anubia smiled and, like Neveo, jumped headfirst into the water and disappeared. Kursed turned around to hear more screams from their pursuers and felt a quick jolt around her stomach. "Hurry up!" shouted someone from inside the whirlpool and next things she knew she was pulled by a rope around her stomach and jolted into the whirlpool. Kursed closed her eyes as her fur made contact with the ice-cold water. Her body was spinning rapidly, and oddly enough, as soon as it began, it was over as she was thrown in the air and landed on a sand bar. "Took you long enough" said a familiar voice. Kursed turned to see that Neveo, like Anubia, and herself, were drenched in water. "I guess it is time to go," said Neveo as he began walking alongside Anubia who was holding onto him tightly. "What just happened? And who were those guys chasing us?" Kursed yelled at Neveo as she drew her blaster and looked around. "They were after what we came to retrieve. And most likely, more will come . . . . However, for now we are safe but we must make our way to the ship and leave as soon as possible" Neveo said as he began running along a stone path in the water that led out to the horizon where the sky was almost as blue and clear as the water itself.

As they were running, Kursed noticed more ruins, but this time they were much bigger and she looked down to see that there were big broken pillars scattered all across the clear ocean. They ran fast and saw what appeared to be a small island with towering broken walls covered in moss. They made their way up the small hill and found Neveo's spaceship still intact. The ramp came down as Neveo whistled at a high tone. They all began to make it into the ship as it slowly lifted of the ground and shot in into space. Neveo ran towards the cockpit and pulled out a golden plate and pulled out the glass filled with the water he retrieved from the temple, all the while maintaining balance as the ship vibrated from the liftoff. Both Kursed and Anubia ran to look over Neveo's shoulder to see what was going on. As Neveo popped of the cap, he began to pour its contents into the plate. Slowly, a face and a planet began to appear, though fuzzy at first. "We need to hurry and make it to the planet Riidenjaou" said Neveo in a hurried voice. The female voice came on the loudspeaker and said, " Coordinates for Riidenjaou, confirmed. Estimated arrival time: 24 hours". Neveo turned to Anubia and requested she go to bed and Kursed to relax. Kursed moved along towards her cabin as the door slide open to reveal the room. The room was quite comfortable. Immediately to her left there was a small kitchen and entrance to the bath/shower. Directly in front was a small but normal sized vacant space occupied by a round table. To her right was the entrance to the bedroom. As Kursed walked towards the bedroom the door slide open and reveal a decent sized bed with red sheets and white pillows. The carpeted floor felt nice as she walked and sat on the bed. Kursed then unfastened her boots and took off her suit, pulled off the band holding her hair together and let it fall. After taking a long shower she made some coffee, got dressed, and left the room to go to the cockpit to watch the stars go by.

Not surprised, she found Neveo sitting down and looking at the stars with a look of serenity, his sword and utility belt lay on the far side of the room. Neveo looked different somehow without the cape, sword, and utility belt Kursed thought as she looked at the very ordinary looking man that sat before her. She looked at his back and noticed several numbers and words that were burned into his skin as if from fire. The numbers read N1223. "That was the number burned into my back by the man Garnada. After we were captured we were each branded with a number so he could identify, in case we escaped, he could be sure who was the real one and not a fake. "That's interesting but I am more interested in knowing more about what is going on with these "elemental guardian people and why we are going through all this trouble to make these two sidetracks." Kursed asked impatiently. "Then I will explain," said Neveo calmly as he sat on the floor in front of Kursed. He smiled and spoke with a soft tone "The elemental guardians are two things in one. A blessing and a curse"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Curse, The Family, and the Picture (Filler)

"A Blessing and a curse?" said Kursed in a confused tone. "Yes" Neveo replied as he leaned against the dark brown oak chair. "From what I saw in the water, the situation looks somewhat grim." he said in a disappointed tone. Kursed gave Neveo a confused look as he continued his story. "The woman who found that temple before us was a human who now lives on the distant planet with her 6 children, all of whom possess one of the 6 elemental powers. It is clear to me that she had no prior knowledge that the temple was home to the, then sealed, elemental powers. Later, she gave birth to six children each with the gift of one of the six elements. However, their childhood was not what I had hoped it would be" Neveo said as he looked down at the floor. "What do you mean?" Kursed inquired. Neveo picked his head up "They have been rejected by their fellow villagers and the children have been separated from each other by force. Each child was taken by an individual village and forced to fight wars with neighboring villages. It appears that the loneliness caused by the rejection from not only their friends, but by their society has caused some of them to develop dangerous habits." Neveo said coldly. Kursed smirked and asked in a would-be cocky voice " So how bad are these brats?" Neveo looked up with a very serious face and said "one of them has changed the landscape of an entire continent and killed everyone in the area" Kursed was shocked to hear this but asked "Aren't they supposed to be guardians or something?" "Yes" he replied "But the difference is that the original 6 guardians were raised and brought up to fight evil and be noble. However, these children have grown up knowing nothing except that their point of existence is to be used as a weapon with no regard to how they feel themselves. Good news is that I noticed a few of them are not this way, and that one was secretly taken away by a peaceful family in order to keep the child from experiencing that pain. What we need to do first is to figure out where this child is and hopefully he or she will be able to find the others." Neveo said matter-of-factly.

"Do we know what they look like?" Kursed asked but the response was a resounding "no" from Neveo. "The planet we are heading to is a strange world where the local and indigenous cultures and modern cultures meet. So, I would suggest that you wear something casual and not too over flamboyant that would attract unnecessary attention to our activities. In addition, it appears that some of Garnada's MP's are there looking for the same thing we are and knowing Garnada, he will use any method to get a hold of these kids." Neveo mentioned. "But what about the 4 people we are supposed to be looking for? The 4 targets" Kursed asked impatiently. "One of the four targets will be there, especially considering how powerful these kids are. We must take him out at the first chance we got" Neveo responded quickly. "So tell me more about this family that stumbled upon these powers anyway?" Kursed asked with an interested tone. Neveo stretched and yawned before giving his response then he began to speak. "From what I can tell, the woman and her husband were on their way to a previous destination until their ship started to malfunction. The closest planet they saw was Aqquarias, even though they had no prior knowledge of its existence, as it is not written on any current map. They landed and the husband asked her to go and see if she could find someone to help while he fixed the ship. So she went on and walked along the same path we did and found the temple. Though frightened at first, she went in anyway without any fear or apparent hesitation. Once she came inside she put her hand in the pool of water and drank from it, and that is how I know all of this, as it was reflected in the plate. After drinking, she made her way towards where the sacred powers were and touched what appeared to be a key that released the hidden abilities of the 6 legendary guardians.

Though not right away, the abilities had been silently transferred to her, she made her way back towards her husband and the ship" Neveo took another yawn and continued "recognizing the ship was fixed, they returned their home planet, until three months later when she was pregnant with her first child. Six years went by and each child was born the next year until they're 6 in total. However as they grew older, their powers began to develop and were slowly ostracized by their communities as freaks who would bring nothing but trouble" Kursed laughed and smiled "So? Who cares?" Neveo looked directly in her eyes and responded in a cold and hateful voice "I would not expect someone like you to understand the pain that accompanies loneliness and the hurtful words by those who do not understand you and your gifts". Kursed went quiet "Did you go through something like that?" she asked. Neveo took in a deep breath before answering her question "Yes I did. After my parents died, I was alone, and because of the power I wielded, I was sought after. Not as a person but as a weapon." The room became silent and the only noise that could be heard was low humming of the engine. "I think I am going to do to bed," said Kursed calmly as she stood up. Neveo nodded and turned around to look out into the stars. "I'm going to turn in as well in about an hour," said Neveo as he looked at the stars. Kursed turned around and walked towards her room down the white hall. As the door closed behind her, she noticed one door was open and realized that it was Neveo's room. She slowly walked inside and began to look around. All she saw was a small, cramped, little room with a sink and bathroom directly to the left and the bed directly to the right. As she walked towards the metal dresser she saw the picture he had shown her of him and his fellow rebels when they were all together. As she was about to leave, she noticed that there was a small piece of white paper sticking out of the photo holder.

Kursed picked up the frame and pulled on the loose paper, which appeared to open a seal and out fell a picture. Kursed squatted down to pick up the picture and was shocked by what she saw. In the picture was Neveo wearing his traditional garb but kissing and embracing a white furred, pink haired, vulpine with a rifle on her back. Turning the card over, she found words written on the back.

_Though our love must remain a secret, the time will come when one day I will give you what I promised on the night you made your confession of love to me. On that day I joined you and your team of revolutionaries, but the truth is that I wanted to be with you. . . always. I love you! _

_With love, _

_Shania Zahan_

"What does this all mean?" Kursed thought as she placed the photo back inside the case. On top of the great mystery that is Neveo, this picture shows that there is more to the story than meets the eye. Kursed then went back to her room and decided that, not only is she going to find these guardians and fulfill her mission, but she will try to unravel the mystery that is Neveo "The Rebel"

EDITORS NOTE: Ok guys. im sure you are all aware that my grammar and punctuation is in league with that of a third grader, but now I have developed a new strategy. I finally got Word after 2 years. so i can spell check shit. so anyways. keep on reading because i am going to be writing much much more now. thank you and peace. (And yes KrzyKrn. . . these spelling mistakes were made just for you! Muhahahahaha!)


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Rendezvous at Riidenjaou

As Kursed placed the picture back into the picture frame, she made her way back to her room. Once in her room she pulled the sheets aside and jumped into bed to take a much needed nap. The following morning she heard a knock on the door and climbed out to see who it was. "What's up?" she said with a yawn and lengthy stretch. Neveo's calm and tired voice answered "We have arrived at Riidenjaou, but now we have to deal with an unexpected, and unfavorable surprise" The door opened to reveal a heavily cloaked Neveo wearing what appeared to be a heavy raincoat. "Take this," he said as he threw an identical cloak towards Kursed who now looked a bit confused. "Come see for yourself" said Neveo as he led the way back to the cockpit. As they were walking into the hall, Kursed heard what sounded like rain and strange animal noises. As the doors opened and the clear window of the cockpit came into view, a strange a disturbing image came into view. They were indeed in a city, but the city itself was completely destroyed and taken over by what appeared to be a vast stretch of swampland and marshes. The only evidence left that suggested a large city were the now broken foundations and large wire suspension beams tangled everywhere like bendable wire. "What happened?" Kursed asked as she tried looking further into the thick mist that hid the distance. "It appears that a Great War, or attack occurred here, and from what I see, it looks like two of the great powers clashed. If I had to guess. . . I would say, fire and earth." Neveo said as he pressed a button to open the hatch to the bottom of the ship. "In addition, it appears our contact who was supposed to meet us on Zikar. As a result, Anubia will be accompanying us to the location in order to ensure our informant that we are who we say we are and not a fake sent by Garnada" Said Neveo as he cocked a rifle and slung it onto his back. Anubia entered the room, also in a heavy cloak, and suggested with eye contact that Kursed should do the same.

Kursed turned to go back into her room to change. Once inside, she opened the closet and picked out her move durable and high-legged boots, which seemed like a good idea. She also grabbed some khaki shorts and a black jacket. After closing the door and turning to see Neveo and Anubia waiting for her in front of the now open hatch, she threw the heavy cloak on and pulled up the hood. As they jumped out the ship, Kursed could smell a very strange scent from the ground. Jumping from the ship down the hatch, she landed on very muddy and watery soil. The water coursing through appeared to be ankle high and relatively clear. "Our contact has to be somewhere in this swamp. It is really unfortunate that his electricity is knocked out," said Neveo as he began to walk ahead towards the slightly denser fog. As they were walking, Kursed noticed that the air was heavy with a damp and dreary feel. The most frightening thing of the now present environment would have to be the rain, which seemed to come endlessly from the dark purple sky. In addition to the broken and twisted metal everywhere, she saw rotted trees and began to get the feeling that they were being watched. Ahead was what appeared to be a building, through it was covered in moss and looked like it could fall at any minute. "We'll start our search here," Neveo said as he pulled out his weapon and cocked it back. Kursed did the same with her blaster, as Anubia did with a smaller but still deadly looking gun. As they moved closer they saw a very uninviting and suspicious that was revealed from the fog. There were bodies dangling from ropes on the levels high above them. Some of the bodies still had flesh which appeared to have been torn apart by something. This was made almost certain by the clearly noticeable chunks of flesh missing from their rotting bodies. The corpses swaying in the rain and wind high above them showed signs of a place with hostile intentions." Lets keep going" Neveo said as he moved closer towards the building. They made it to the front entrance and the blood stained, moss covered, and eroded glass slide door. Neveo barely touched it, and the thing fell down and with a loud smash, broke. The broke made an echo which could be heard from inside as an echo. The room was dimly lit and seemed vacated. Ahead was a long corridor with some empty rooms and what appeared to be broken elevators.

The only source of light was the light that penetrated the weed and vine covered glass ceiling and even that was not very much. They continued down the hall, looking into the, previously shop, windows as they passed by. Suddenly, they all jumped as a loud sound of something breaking echoed through the halls. To their relief, it was just a rat, which ran away. They then noticed a room ahead, which had a huge bloodstain on the wall directly opposite of the room. Being wary to move slowly, they hugged the wall adjacent to the room's entrance. Weapons drawn, they carefully turned their heads to look into the room. What they saw sent shivers down their spines. In the middle of the room was a trashcan that had a fire going, but surrounding it were 12 mutilated bodies of several species. Over one of the bodies was something hunched over one of the bodies and appeared to be shaking. The thing was covered in a dark cloak so one could not make a clear distinction about who or what it was. Kursed then walked over towards the hunched creature and pointed the gun to the back of its head and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed loudly as the blood shoot from the now gaping hole in the back of its head. "There you go. Stop acting like such a pussy" she said as Neveo drew his rifle and ran towards Kursed grabbing her away from where she stood. It was at that moment that a large block came crashing down where Kursed was just standing. "It was a trap," Neveo said as he panted hard from the sudden spurt of energy he managed to release. Silence fell, as the only sound that could be heard was the water dropping from the leaking ceiling. "Shit! Run! Its a trap!" screamed Neveo as he pointed towards the far end of the room where a clock was ticking. The clock had 15 seconds on it. The three ran as fast as they could back and were in such as hurry that they crashed through the glass surroundings. As soon as they left the building the bomb exploded sending an enormous shock wave that leveled the entire building in one shot. "Glad you noticed that. Although it would have helped if you had mentioned it earlier" said Kursed as she stood up to catch her breath.

Neveo turned around to look towards a mountain that was off in the distance. "Lets head for the cave" Neveo suggested as he pointed towards a large field of boulders that appeared to almost conceal a small opening. As they ran closer a shot rang out and nearly hit Anubia. She just happened to trip at just the right time. "Who is it?" Neveo yelled as he and Kursed hid behind the rocks with their weapons drawn. "You tell me!" yelled a hoarse voice from the cave. "We are trying to find someone who has access to necessary information about my toilet!" Neveo Yelled in response. Kursed turned around and had a very "Are you fucking serious?" face. Silence again fell and then the man spoke again. "You may come closer! I have dropped my weapon." Neveo stood up, as did Kursed and Anubia. A man now stood firmly on top of a large boulder and jumped down to the ground. The mud splattered as his weight hit the ground and he began to walk towards Neveo. "It's been a long time my friend," said the cloaked figure. He removed his shroud to reveal the face of what appeared to be a black-feathered bird. "We need to take shelter. We have many things to discuss," said the bird as he pointed his finger towards the cave. As they entered the cave there was a small fire and a few guns and ammunition scattered o the floor. A few books and a sleeping bag were neatly placed along the side of the small cave. "A lot has happened since you were sent out to find and assassinate the Quadarlia four," said the bird with a serious tone. "One of the Quadarlia four is here. The Lizard named Kett was sent here to find the 6 legendary guardians and capture them," said the bird in a low tone as he poured out water into a pot on top of his makeshift fire. The crackle from the fire was somehow soothing even though the rain could still be heard. "What the hell happened here?" Kursed asked the bird. The bird turned to face Kursed and spoke in a much friendlier tone "Please forgive me my dear. My name is Rin. I am the one you were scheduled to rendezvous on the other planet. And as you see, I was seriously delayed." Neveo turned to face Rin and spoke quickly "Did the war begin?" Rin turned to face him and gave a long reply "Yes it has. It has been 4 years since it began and it has destroyed everything, as you can clearly see. Just recently, that boy and his sister were tricked into fighting each other and look what happened." "So I was right after all," said Neveo under his breath. "There is a silver lining though," said Rin. I managed to rescue his sister before she was killed" Neveo, Kursed, and Anubia all turned their heads and asked in unison "Where is she?"

Rin stood up and motioned with his finger to follow him. They all did and walked towards the far end of the cave. There on the floor lay what appeared to be a body covered from head to toe in a thick blanket. Kursed noticed that when they came closer, the room got very warm. "Here she is" said Rin as he removed the blanket covering her face. Kursed was very surprised to see how beautiful she was and how youthful she seemed. Kursed touched the side of her neck and quickly retracted his hand as if he had been burned. "She is still very weak" Neveo said as he pulled out a jar of green liquid. "Drink this," said Neveo as he poured it into the now open mouth of the girl. Though careful not to touch her directly, she swallowed, smiled and opened her eyes. Her eye color was a bright red with bits of yellow specks here and there. It was noted by Kursed that not only was this girl a guardian, but she was very beautiful. "Who are you? And where am I?" The girl asked in a serene tone as she looked around. "You are among friends here" Rin assured her. Neveo noticed her try to get up and placed his hands on her shoulder. "Do not try to move to much. You still need to recover" Said Neveo as he ran his fingers through her long brown hair. The girl spoke in a calm tone and began to explain what had happened while she sat upright into a more comfortable "My name is Farrah. I am 17 and I am one year younger than my older brother. I was separated from my mother when I was 6 and trained as my adopted tribes special weapon." She said in a calm but shaky voice. "Did you do all this?" Neveo asked comfortingly. She shook her head and explained the reason for all the destruction and weather Neveo and friends experienced.

"It started 4 years ago when the leader of our tribe was killed by a member of another leader. The next to take leadership declared war on the opposing tribe. A fierce battle ensued and many people were killed, however I was not to be involved until later." She paused to take a sip of water in a brass mug. They all watched intently as the water began to steam. Farrah then continued her story, "Unfortunately, my brother, Elso, was brought in to obliterate my tribe. He has the ability to control the earth and all elements related to ground. Needless to say, they called upon my services, more like forced me, to fight him. We battled for 3 days until the landscape and ecosystem that was, ceased to exist. It turned out that the place where we were to fight was a city filled with innocent people and their families. I personally did not care. For me, they got what they deserved after treating me like I was some kind of monster and leaving me with no true friends. When the battled began, it was incredible. His earth tried to counter my fire by burying it. I had an ace in the hole. I knew, from observing his actions and battle style that he can control the very soil itself, and depending on how loose it is, he can use it to attack at blinding speeds. After realizing this, I found a place to hide behind a rock and concentrated my flames to a temperature hotter than the surface of a star and shot it into the stratosphere. This caused the clouds in the air to heat and it started to rain. At first, it looked like I had the disadvantage, because it was raining. However, the truth was that by the time the rain seeped into the soil, it was too heavy to control and I thought I had won. But it turns out I did not. He turned his disadvantage into a blessing in disguise by using the water in the earth to speed up tree growth and used them to attack me. I was seriously injured but not hurt." Neveo cut in and began to ask other questions.

"Why would you fight your own flesh and blood?" He asked in a confused and serious tone. Farrah faced Neveo and gave her response "I was told that he was in fact the one who had killed our mother. It was said that he killed her for fun and that he was an animal who was out to kill my other brothers and sisters." After looking at the sad expression on Neveo's and Rin's faces she continued with a more serious tone. "You have to understand that I was taken at a young age and had no idea about what really happened. I did not know it was the tribesmen who killed my mother and father to get to me. Your friend Rin explained the truth and I guess I lost it. That's why I am physically exhausted." Neveo drank from his mug and sighed "So I gather you killed everyone in your tribe after learning about it." He said as he looked at Rin with a dirty look. "Don't blame him" said Farrah quickly. "It wasn't his fault. I overreacted and lost control in my rage" She said as she looked into the fire. "So what can you do?" Neveo asked calmly. Farrah smiled and put her hands in a cup like stance and if out of the blue, a flame appeared above her palms. "I can manipulate and create fire any way I like. I also have the neat ability to control things of extreme temperature. For example, I can lower or raise the temperature. As long as the temperature begins as hot as fire." Farrah said calmly. She then looked towards the fire and began to cry.

Through tears she tried to speak. "All I want is to be reunited with my brothers and sisters and move far far away!" she yelled. Neveo moved closer to her and embraced her using his hand to allow her to cry into his shoulder." Its ok. I will do everything in my power to make your dream a reality" Neveo said gently. "But, in order to make this work, I will need your help and we must find your brothers and sisters. Do you think you could help me and my friends out?" He asked calmly. Farrah nodded and began to wipe her tears away. Neveo turned to face Rin and spoke "What are the chances of us running into Kett?" Rin drank from his mug before answering. "I would say it is a pretty good 30 to 40 percent chance you might run into him personally. I say this because he is looking for the other Elemental Children. However, I can guarantee that you will run into his Militia." "Who many are we talking about?" Asked Neveo. Rin frowned "Several thousand and very well armed" he said. "I think the five of us can handle this little situation," Neveo suggested. There were nods of agreement on all sides as Neveo stood up and looked out into the raining swampland. "We leave first thing in the morning to find the other five children and bring them to safety. . . but now, we sleep" Everyone began to pull out sleeping bags and tucked himself or herself in. Kursed stood up and walked next to Neveo and asked him a question "How long do you think this will all take?" Neveo looked into her eyes and she could tell that he was very uncertain. "I'm not sure," He said "However, the promise I made to her is a promise I intend to keep"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The Search for Earth Begins with a Pleasant Start

The following morning, the five travelers woke up and began to pack their things. "Where do we start looking for the next child?" Kursed asked as she strapped on her belt and donned her cloak. "He lives in another village. It will probably take 4 days from where we are now" said Farrah. Neveo smiled and looked into the rain and turned to face everyone, and made the motion that they needed to hurry. "Were set" Rin confirmed as he himself pulled a cloak over his body. "Do you need a . .?" but before Neveo could finish his sentence he saw Farrah pull a cloak from out of her bag. "How do you know where your brother is?" Kursed asked Farrah in a suspicious tone. "Before we fought each other. I recognized the clothes and colors of the tribe he belonged to. It also helps that I overheard my village leaders discuss that before they went to war." Farrah replied very calmly. "Good enough for me. Now lets get going!" Rin suggested as he turned on what appeared to be his rifle. The five left the cave and whatever they did not need, they left behind and began following Farrah as she guided the way towards the village she believed housed her brother. "There is one thing I should mention though" Farrah said in a low and guilty voice. "What now?" Kursed said with a hostile tone. Farrah looked at Neveo and then spoke "The village is heavily guarded. It is practically a fortress." Kursed smiled and laughed. "Haha. Wonderful! I have been dying to let off some steam. C'mon guys! Lets go!" She yelled with a tone of great joy. "Is she always like that?" Rin asked Neveo as he whispered in his ear. Neveo gave a nod and sighed. Neveo and Rin began to converse with a low tone. " So what is our plan?" "We go in unnoticed and try to infiltrate it as best we can" "But Neveo! What if they have high powered weapons. These simple rifles are no match for a high powered automatic rifle and a few grenades! And what about the young girl you brought with you!? She could get us all killed!" "This is no different than other missions I have been on." Said Neveo as he continued his conversation.

"But this isn't the same! You don't have the four greatest rebel fighters in the Universe. All we have are a girl who doesn't say anything, A girl who can control fire, A fox who has the bloodlust and temper of fire, me, and you!" Neveo did not say anything for a minute and then responded. "Sounds fine to me." He said with a smile as Rin rolled his eyes and looked at the sky. "Why me?" he said under his breath. They kept walking as the day dragged onwards. They noticed what appeared to be a small cluster of shops ahead and some taller wooden structures. "looks like a small town" Said Rin with a hint of hope. "We should rest here and stock up on supplies and food before we keep moving" Neveo said as he looked towards the city and then up into the sky. "We should probably stay the night here before it gets dark" Farrah suggested as she smiled. Everyone nodded in agreement and made their way into the town. "Well this is modern" Said Kursed in a sarcastic tone. They past several shops and turned a left into a cramped alley and saw a sign that said "Seriously: The Best Hotel Around". Kursed laughed "Hahaha! The Hotel name is *Seriously*?" "Could be worse" Said Rin. They opened the door and looked around inside. It was a medium sized room with circular tables and wooden chairs. A toad came forward and greeted them. "Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. What can I do for you tonight?" Neveo stepped foward and spoke with the toad. As Neveo explained to the frog what they needed, Kursed couldn't help but look around to get the feel of things. She went up a flight of stairs and came into a long hall which had four doors on the right and 6 doors on the left, She walked back down to meet up with everyone and it appeared that Neveo was claiming the keys and paying for the two rooms. "We have 2 rooms. One for you, Anubia, and Farrah. And one for me and Rin." He said as he threw a key on a ring to Kursed as she caught it. Kursed examined the key and saw the number "508" engraved into the key. "Our room is 509 and is on the 3rd floor next to yours" Neveo said as he began to move towards the staircase Kursed just climbed. "But there are only 11 doors in the hall" Kursed told Neveo as he was making his way up the hall. Neveo didn't say anything and instead turned the knob on the 6th door at the end of the hall. "This leads to a flight of stairs which will take us the third floor." Neveo explained. Once inside the room Kursed sees a flight of twisting stairs that stop halfway and then continue further up. They walk up the stair and get to a door with a very rusty sign where" 3rd floor" was written in very poor handwriting. Kursed thought that it looked seedy, crappy, and suspicious, but decided to keep those comments to herself.

Neveo opened the door and everyone was very surprised to see a cleaner and wider hallway with pictures and marble statues lined along the walls. There were 4 rooms. 2 rooms to one wall. "Here we go" said Neveo as he walked towards the first door on his right. Kursed looked and saw a very formal looking marble plate that was hung on the side of the door with gold numbers that read "509." And likewise, the room next door was the same way, except with the number 508 instead. "We will meet up in 2 hours after we have settled in and then go out for a bite to eat." Said Neveo as he opened his door. "We will see you ladies later" Said Neveo in a very gentlemanly voice. "Likewise" said Kursed in a bouncy tone. Then, they both shut and locked the doors as they made themselves at home.

In Room 508 (Kursed, Farrah, and Anubia)

As Kursed entered the room her breath almost left her. The room was absolutely beautiful. The living room had an enormous red woven carpet and a stone fire place to the right. Further ahead she could see a porch and a window so one could go outside and look around and watch the people go back and forth. Anubia had a very large smile on her face as she went into the kitchen and looked around at the brand new stove, microwave and all other manner of modern technology. "Oh my God!" screamed Farrah's voice from another room. Kursed and Anubia jumped and ran past the kitchen and came into a room almost as big as the living room. It was wonderful. There were three beds lined across and each with a door to its own separate bathroom. If the bedroom and living space wasn't enough, the bathrooms were large with marble showers and a nicely seated toilet and black sink with gold faucets. The first thing that came into Kursed's mind was "How did he pay for all of this?" Kursed dropped her bag on the floor next to the bed, as did Farrah and Anubia. The three then proceeded to prepare to take their showers. Anubia and and Farrah both got undressed and wrapped towels around themselves and walked into their separate bathrooms.

Kursed was sitting on the bed when she heard a muffled voice through the wall scream "What? Are you Serious?" Kursed walked towards the wall and pressed her ear against it to hear the conversation. However, once she did, she heard nothing . Five minutes passed as she tried to listen in and heard nothing. Finally, she moved away, undressed and headed in to the shower. Inside, the bathroom was nice and spacious with a white toilet on the right and a marble sink which she placed her clothes into. Looking into the mirror, she gazed at herself ad proceeded to turn the water on. Twisting the "Hot" faucet she waited for the steam to manifest before she entered. Dropping her towel and untying the bands around her tail, she made her way into the shower. The warm water splashed and dribbled down her fur as she gave an "ahhhhh" of relief. It felt wonderful to finally be able to take a long and relaxing shower. The water coursing through her thick blue hair felt like it was releasing the stress in her mind. 45 minutes passed and she turned off the water. Once outside of the shower she shook herself and her tail to get rid of the water. The water splashed everywhere and made small wet marks on the fog filled mirror and glass. Taking the nearby white towel, she dried herself and pulled out a comb. Her hair, now liberated from her ponytail, fell like vines down her back and to her waist. She then used the comb to straighten her hair and decided in the end to let it hang. Upon opening the shower door she saw the two girls standing by their mirrors as they made some last minute touch-ups. Kursed just remembered that they were all going to go out to eat. "Kursed, what are you going to wear?" Asked Farrah as she began putting on makeup that was in a small basket left by the hotel. "I don't know. I don't have a dress or anything, so I probably shouldn't go. Anyways, why would I go on a date with those two losers anyway?" said Kursed as she shot Farrah a dirty look. "Here is an extra dress" said Anubia as she handed Kursed a small but elegant black dress and some jewelry. "Thanks. . . I guess" replied Kursed as she received the dress. "Try it on!" Urged Farrah with a deep look of interest.

"Fine, but you better not laugh or anything" snapped Kursed as she headed toward the bathroom. Once inside she noticed the fog was all gone, but the room itself was still nice and warm. After dropping her towel, she proceeded to put on some underwear. Once she got on her undergarments, she began to put on the dress. "Putting on this dress is easier said then done" thought Kursed as she pulled on the dress to push it down her waist and over her bottom. "Stupid tail!" she thought as she tried to pull the dress over the tail. In the end she took a pin on the sink and pushed a hole through and it worked. She looked in the mirror at the new Kursed. The dress appeared very risque as she noticed how it hugged her hips and breasts to the point of almost making it seem like she wasn't wearing anything. Not only that, but the dress itself was very short with a long bit of cloth hanging on her left side which didn't do much to hid her legs. After putting on her heels, she used a black bow to tie her hair up in a neat ponytail with a little bit of frizz. The earrings were the next thing to put on as she pulled out sparkling diamond crystals that dangled elegantly and sparkled like a star. Once she had all of her clothes together she walked out of the room. Her eyes widened as she saw what Anubia and Farrah were wearing.

Farrah was wearing a peculiar looking dress. It was very different from what she was wearing. She had on very tight black shorts and a brightly colored scarf the was tied at her left side along her wast. Her top was a long piece of cloth that had little tassels on the sides. It fell down in a triangular shape which was very elangant. Anubias dress was the most beautiful Kursed had every seen. It was an elegant purple and looked it was hand made just for her. Kursed also noticed that her physique was very mature for her age. The way the dress accentuated her curves made her appear more like an adult than someone young. This was probably expected, considering for all the time they have known Anubia, she always wore very conservative clothing. They sat down and began to talk to each other. Kursed then noticed that everyone was looking at her rather dreamily and then Anubia asked Kursed a very interesting question. "Do you find Neveo attractive?" Kursed coughed, being taken aback by the question posed to her, then replied, "As if. I would never date someone like him!" Anubia and Farrah both giggled as they heard her reply. "Have you ever been in love?" Asked Farrah with a hint of suspicion. Kursed looked down at the ground very somberly and replied "Yes. . . But that was a long time ago." The room was silent and then Farrah stood up and spoke. "Shall we go?" Everyone nodded as they moved towards the door.

In Room 509 (Neveo and RIn)

As Neveo entered the room he and Rin set their weapons and cloaks in a closet to their left. The room was considerably smaller and less elegant than the room Kursed, Farrah, and Anubia occupied. On the right was a bunk bed, and behind that was a small wooden desk with a stool. There was one shower and it was to the left and was very small. There was one light in the middle of the room which was a simple lightbulb. "This is it?" Asked Rin with an obvious hint of disappointment as he sat on the bottom bunk. The bed squeaked as he sat down. Neveo walked over and grabbed the stool next to the desk and pulled it in front of the bed. He then pulled out a mug and filled it with cold tap water from the sink and began to drink it all down. Neveo took a seat and began a conversation with Rin about life and what has happened. "Its been a long time old friend" Said Rin with a happy voice. "Far too long!" Neveo said as he laughed. "Even though she has a shitty attitude. She is one fine looking fox" Said Rin as he smiled at Neveo. "Not to mention she is on hell of a fighter" Neveo added as he took another swig from his mug. "Neveo. . . Where did you find her?" Rin asked. "She found me. but not for conversation" replied Neveo as he cracked his back. "She was sent to kill me by an angry client" Rin coughed as he heard Neveo finished his sentence, and then replied "Do you know anything about her?" Neveo looked Rin in the eye and laughed. " ." Rin looked more curious "Tell me what you know about her" Neveo began to discuss Kurseds actual identity to Rin.

"The Bounty Hunter you know as Kursed is in fact Krystal, the girl who fought many battles with Fox McCloud." Rin gasped and then yelled "What! Are you Serious?" "Shhhhhhhh" said Neveo as he put his finger to his mouth. "Sorry. . . You know Fox has been looking everywhere for her. I can't wait until her hears she is still alive" whispered a joyful Rin. "Fox cannot learn about Kursed or her location" Said Neveo sternly. Rin looked somberly at Neveo and placed his hand on his shoulder "I know how long you have waited and searched. . . but that isn't her. and im sure in your heart of hearts. . . you know that she is not meant for you" Neveo looked down as he heard this statement "I told you before Neveo. We are doing everything we can to find her." The room was silent as a a small tear fell from Neveo's left eye. "I know. but it is very hard for me. I have searched all over the galaxy. I know she is out there and that by taking this job, I will be one step closer to finding her." Said Neveo with a hopeful tone. "But now. . . You and I have ladies that we must attend to" Said Rin with a smile. Neveo smiled as he got off the stool. "Ill shower first" said Neveo as he opened the shower door. After closing the door, Neveo looked into the mirror and then turned the rusted "Hot" of the faucet. While sitting on the toilet, he removes his boots, socks, utility belt and outer garments. Neveo then walked into the warm shower. The water felt wonderful as he mixed the soap he had with his hair. The water coursing through his hair provided relief for his now aching back.

45 minutes later, he turned off the shower and wrapped a black towel around his waist. Neveo yawned as he shook his hear violently to get off the excess water. After drenching the bathroom with the water from his body he opens the door and high fives Rin as he moves into the now vacant shower. "I left you something on the bed to wear when we hit the town! Can't have you making me look bad next to the ladies!" Said Rin through the shower door. Neveo laughed as he picked up the bag that was lying on the top bunk. He pulled out 6 things; a pair of clean shoes, a silk black dress shirt, a black studded belt, silver cufflinks, loose black cargo pants, and finally a watch. "This is seriously not my image, but oh well" thought Neveo as he put on his new clothes. Everything fit him perfectly except the pants which needed to be held up by the belt. Neveo left the top button as well as the two underneath open so it would be more comfortable for him. Then, Neveo took a comb and combed his hair back and then shook a little. His long black hair fell nicely with a clear part in the middle. The last thing to put on was the watch and then to roll up the sleeves and the cuffs of his pants. Just as he finished rolling up his left cuff, Rin came out from the shadow and was dripping wet. "Hand me that blue bag will ya" Rin requested. Neveo turned around and handed the large bag to Rin as he said "Thanks" The door closed and Neveo began to sing to himself what appeared to be a poem

_Sitting by the moon_

_like sitting next to you_

_is wonderful to witness_

_as your the gift im given_

_you and i like night and day_

_work together everyday_

_but know one knows about us_

_or about our secret love_

Neveo shed some tears as he thought about someone he was very close too. The bathroom door was slammed open loudly as Rin entered fully dressed. "Are you ready to ball out Neveo" Rin suggested humorously. Rin was dressed in exactly the same thing except he was wearing a blue dress shirt. Neveo didn't know which made him start laugh, whether it was his obvious cologne or his now slicked back hair. "You look great Neveo. No Homo" Said Rin as he put on his jacket. Neveo pulled out a small knife and a holster and put it at his side and then covered it with his long shirt. "You never know" said Neveo as he looked at Rin who had a very confused look on his face. "Are we ready?" Asked Rin. Neveo stretched one last time and then nodded. "Great" said Rin as he opened the door

(Back together outside their rooms)

The five looked at each other with eyes full of shock. "Neveo? Is that you?" Asked Kursed as she looked more closely. "Your looking . . . . beautiful tonight." Said Neveo as he blushed and looked at his feet. Neveo was so overcome with amazement with how beautiful she looked that almost did not recognize her. Anubia and Farrah walked towards Neveo and giggled "Do you think Kursed looks sexy?" asked Anubia from slight giggles. "Lets move guys!" Said Rin as he gave everyone the motion to walk down the stairs. Kursed walked quickly towards Anubia and appeared very embarressed, " Why the fuck did you ask him something like that?" Anubia smiled and giggled as she answered. "He didn't say no" then she skipped off following Neveo. They all made it down to the floor level and passed the Toad from earlier. "Have a good evening and we hope to see you again" said the toad as he bowed his head. Neveo smiled and opened the door and held it so everyone could go ahead. Once outside, the town looked entirely different. There were orbs of light along the wall of the alley illuminating the stone cobbled path. Neveo lead the way as Kursed looked at the sky and noticed with amazement that the rain had stopped. Once they turned out of the alley, they were greeted with an even greater surprise. The town looked like a party with lights strung everywhere and people laughing and talking as they walked up and down the street. "We are supposed to turn a left and it should be at to the left. As they walked up the street, Kursed was taking in the vibe of the place. To her left were shops and bars filled with people drinking and laughing. Some of them were with girls, and others with friends. The mood was set in stone. Tonight was going to be a party and escape from the conventional life they all had to live for such a long time.

"Aha! Here it is!" yelped Neveo as he turned to the left. They all stopped where he did and turned to look at the restaurant. It was very appealing and had several stories. A gecko came out in a very nice tuxedo and greeted them. "Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to " The Silver Spoon" Where would you like to have dinner? We have 4 floors." said the Gecko with a cheerful attitude and a smile. "We would like a table for five and on the fourth floor" Said Neveo in a calm voice. "It would appear your friends have chosen another plan" said the Gecko as he pointed towards Rin, Anubia, and Farrah who were running into the restaurant with another waiter. "Where are you going?" Kursed yelled as she stamped the floor with her heels. "Let it go and lets just have dinner. ok?" said Neveo as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Good luck to ya Neveo!" Yelled Rin as he ran up the stairs. "What?!" yelled Kursed, but before she could talk further, Neveo grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs. The waiter followed them and then they reached the fourth floor where there was an old carved wooden door. " Here we are" said the Gecko as he pulled out a small key and unlocked the door. What Kursed saw threw her off. The fourth floor was in fact the roof, where there were about ten white tables scattered around the floor along with a small jazz band playing relaxing music. There were about 8 people, two to a table. "here we are madame and miseur!" Peeped the Gecko as he lay two menus on a table in the middle. "My name is Raeko and I will be your server for tonight. If you need anything. Do not be afraid to ask. I will return in 15 minutes to hear your order" said Raeko as he quickly turned and left.

The silence between the two for the first 5 minutes was very awkward until Kursed broke the ice. "You planned this out. . . didn't you?" she said as she looked at Neveo with a dreamy and slightly suggestive look. Neveo laughed, "haha, no. Why would I do that. They went off on their own." Neveo replied in a calm demeanor. Kursed gave him a look of suspicion and then laughed. "Sure. . ." was her reply to what Neveo said. At that moment Neveo thought to himself "this is going to be a long night. . ."


End file.
